The Cruel Hands Of Fate
by BrokenSouledPoetess
Summary: Nominated Best Crossover IYFG 1st Quarter 2006 IYYYH crossover The final battle has come to pass and the Shikon has become whole once more. However, a wish is not to be had which leaves Kagome in a rather odd predicament. KagomeHiei?
1. Chapter 1

All sounds of battle fell silent as the Shard Hunters watched the scene before them with barely restrained looks of shock and disbelief. They had been battling Naraku and his hordes of minions and detachments for the better part of the day. All present were exhausted and in varying stages of injury, save for Kagome who had remained outside the fray, firing her sacred arrows at any youkai who came too close to her friends and Shippou who had taken up residence on Kagome's shoulder.

Just as the sun was coming close to settling on the horizon, Naraku pulled a wild card. Instead of sending out more and more youkai at the worn out group, he began pulling them all back in. Once the various youkai had been drawn back, Naraku turned to his own detachments and began reabsorbing them one at a time in an attempt to increase his power.

Kanna had been the last to be absorbed, her mirror falling forgotten next to Kagura's fans. Now, the only ones left on the field were the Shard Hunters, Kouga, Naraku and Kikyou.

Kohaku had fallen when Naraku ordered his shard removed and now lay to the side; Kouga was lying not far from him, barely conscious and his body going into shock from blood loss at having his own shards torn from his legs. Kikyou would have been cause for concern were it not for the quick thinking houshi who had attached an ofuda to one of Kagome's arrows before she let it fly, striking the dark miko in the shoulder. Kagome's own miko powers caused the ofuda to completely bind Kikyou's powers, rendering her a normal human.

Sango was flickering through stages of shock and depression at the loss of her brother while Miroku was fighting to remain conscious against the pain of his Kazaana being ripped open further.

All this damage done left only Kagome and Shippou unharmed and Inuyasha sporting various gashes and bruises, which were already healing.

As Naraku's crimson gaze scanned the area and took in the carnage before him, a slow, malicious smirk spread across his face. Before anyone present had time to process what that look could mean, Naraku had Inuyasha impaled and pinned to a nearby tree with his tentacles and had wrapped several others around the now wounded Kikyou.

Making sure that the hanyou was watching, Naraku grinned evilly "See Inuyasha? Kikyou has always been mine. Now, she will give me her strength and help me to eliminate you."

"You bastard! Let go of Kikyou!" The hanyou spat, blood trailing from the corners of his mouth.

This turn of events helped bring a little more presence of mind to Miroku and he spoke up, "Surely you aren't planning to absorb a miko, Naraku. I didn't think even you were desperate enough to try something that could end in your own purification."

Naraku merely chuckled as his grin spread across his face, "Ah houshi. Of course I wouldn't. That is why I am not trying to absorb Kagome. Kagome has already saved me some trouble by sealing Kikyou's powers with her arrow."

At this piece of information, looks of utter shock crossed the faces of Kagome and Miroku, while Inuyasha's face took on a hate filled scowl.

The dark hanyou merely laughed and pulled Kikyou towards him, enveloping her in his tentacles and absorbing her body into his, releasing the souls she had harvested in her travels along with the last piece of her shared soul with Kagome. Inuyasha watched on, struggling against his binds and snarling viciously. Naraku simply ignored him and turned his gaze to Kagome who stood across from him with her last arrow pulled and ready to fire.

"My precious Kagome, certainly you don't think you can end my life with just that one arrow, do you? Hand over your shards of the jewel now and I will be kind enough to kill you first, so you don't have to watch your friends die." The vile hanyou stated matter-of-factly as he took two steps closer to the young miko.

As Kagome stood her ground aiming at Naraku, the last portion of her soul rejoined her body and caused her to flare with a soft blue glow. For the first time in years, Kagome felt whole. She smirked, "You will die today, Naraku. You have spilled enough blood and wreaked enough havoc. You don't belong here anymore than Kikyou did."

Those last words falling from her lips echoed across the clearing, reflecting the young miko's strength and determination. Naraku began to laugh anew, finding amusement in the audacity of a child who was about to die. His mirth was cut short, however and soon turned to a pain filled howl.

He began viciously clawing at his chest where the pieces of the Shikon no Tama flared a bright pink. "What did you do to me, bitch? The shards…are…purifying me."

The shards continued to pulse, their light flaring a brilliant pink in time with a heartbeat; Kagome's heartbeat. The young miko looked down at the bottle that contained her own shards and her eyes widened when she noticed that they too, were pulsing with the same strange glow. She lifted her wide, blue eyes to fall upon the form of Naraku as he began to turn to ash. His screeches of agony and disbelief rang out across the battlefield as his body was slowly purified, leaving nothing but a swirling of miasma that drifted sluggishly across the ground.

Instead of the shards falling to the ground, the stayed suspended in the air, still pulsing with pink energy. Kagome reached up and withdrew the shards in her possession from the small glass jar and watched on in awe as they joined Naraku's, forming the whole Shikon no Tama.

Kagome looked around at her friends, "Well, that was…unexpected. I guess that means…it's finally over." Her voice came out in a soft sort of reverence as if speaking too loudly would cause the entire situation to shatter and find themselves still battling the vile hanyou.

Her gaze fell expectantly on Miroku, pointedly regarding his cursed hand. The houshi followed her eyes downward and gulped audibly as he fingered the glove that had adorned his hand for as long as he could remember. Slowly, he lifted the fabric that crossed his palm to peer underneath it.

The group remained waiting with baited breathe until Miroku lifted tear-filled, violet eyes back to Kagome and smiled, "It's gone."

A collective sigh of relief made itself known as the entire group began getting up and moving around. Kagome looked at all of her friends in turn, giving them all a smile. She reached to her shoulder and pulled Shippou down to cuddle him against her chest before setting him on the floor of the forest to go look at Miroku's now curse-free hand.

Her eyes then fell on the form of the dog-eared hanyou who had yet to move from his slumped position against the tree that he had been pinned against. Her gaze softened and tears pricked her eyes when she remembered Naraku's words. She had been responsible for Kikyou's demise. She hung her head; her bangs hiding her eyes and let her tears escape to burn hot trails down her cheeks.

Kikyou was gone and it was her fault.

A low, pain-filled growl made Kagome snap her head back up and she focused on Inuyasha; his own eyes held trace amounts of tears even as the red began to seep in. Kagome could only sniffle knowing that if he hadn't truly hated her before, he did now. She opened her mouth in an attempt to say something, anything to the half-demon who had held her heart when a bright flash of light caught her attention.

Apparently, the flash of light got everyone else's attention as well, because soon they were all gathering around Kagome watching the jewel.

Kagome looked intently at the jewel as it pulsed in time with the beating of her heart. "What in Kami's name is going on?" She whispered to no one in particular. As soon as the question left her lips, the jewel quit flashing and held its brilliant color for a second before it flew straight at Kagome, embedding itself deeply in her chest.

She stood there for a moment in stunned silence before reality sunk in and she was forced to the ground. Miroku reached out and caught her in his arms before she hit and helped her down the rest of the way, taking up a seat next to her. Sango sat down on her other side and put a hand on her shoulder, "Kagome…are you alright?"

Kagome watched as Inuyasha sat in front of her and nodded blankly as she felt Shippou crawl into her lap. Inuyasha had looked heartbroken before and now his golden eyes flared with the fire of anger. 'That bitch. She caused Kikyou to die and now she took the jewel! Damnit! That was my Kikyou and **my wish**!'

The monk reached out to Kagome once more and grasped her chin with his hand, turning her head gently towards him. Once her eyes locked on to his, he spoke "Kagome-sama what happened? Are you alright?"

Blinking her eyes rapidly, Kagome finally managed to clear her foggy brain and focus on Miroku "I-I don't know what happened, Miroku-sama. The jewel…" Her voice trailed off as her hand reflexively went to her chest. Not caring much about her modesty at present, she pulled the front of her uniform top down expecting to see something horrible. Her friends all leaned in towards her, intent on finding something out. Once her shirt was pulled down far enough, she ran her hand lightly across her pale skin; there was nothing there. There were no marks, no obtrusions or indentations…nothing that indicated that the jewel was in fact where it had seemed to disappear.

Looking up at Miroku with confusion in her eyes, Kagome spoke "I don't know where it went. It felt like it came into my chest but…there isn't anything here! How can a wish be made now?"

Her friends could only shake their heads at her question, for they were all as confused as she was. Did the jewel actually return to her body? What did that mean for them? Would Kagome now be able to pass through the well regularly or would she be forced to choose?

Before any questions could be brought to light, Kagome found herself surrounded by a brilliant pink glow that emanated from her chest. Panicking, she reached out and grabbed Miroku and Sango by the hand as Shippou clung to her waist "I don't want to go! Not this way, not yet! Please! Sango, Miroku, Shippou, Kirara, Kouga, Inuyasha…I love you all so much. Please…don't forget me."

And as the last of her words fell almost soundlessly from her lips, she disappeared.

Kurama and Hiei were standing patiently in the demi-god's office waiting for him to acknowledge their presence and explain to them their next mission. Yusuke and Kuwabara were currently on a mission of their own involving some low class youkai, leaving the demon partners to tend to this one.

Koenma was busily shuffling papers around on his desk in an attempt to find his wayward remote control. He was well aware of the demons in his office and knew they were waiting on him, however the mission they were to be sent on was going to be a little out of the ordinary and it would just be easiest to watch a video. 'Besides, Yusuke isn't here screaming at me to hurry up.'

He had been informed by his father, King Enma, that a rather powerful artifact called the Shikon no Tama had just appeared on Reikai's radar. Normally, any and all such artifacts were kept locked away in the Spirit World's vaults for safe keeping. This particular artifact however had a totally different story. It was supposed to have been destroyed over 500 years ago when it was burned with the body of its then guardian.

Now, there had been a flare of power cross the sensors of Reikai that could only be the Shikon no Tama. King Enma had ordered Koenma to have his Spirit Detectives seek out the jewel and bring it and its current guardian, should it have one, in for questioning immediately.

"Ah ha! Finally found it." The teenage ruler of Reikai exclaimed excitedly pulling his remote control out from under a pile of paperwork, upending it in the process. He stood, grabbing a video tape from a drawer in his desk and walking towards the nearby player, inserting it and resuming his seat.

The fox and the fire apparition looked on with an underlying sense of amusement at the antics of the Prince. He always seemed much more relaxed and possibly even charming when Yusuke wasn't around. There was something about Detective Urameshi that could push every button Koenma had all at once and turn him into a sputtering ball of unrepressed rage.

"Now, for your next mission" Koenma started but was cut off before his explanations were heard when the body of a young woman dropped, seemingly out of nowhere, onto the floor of his office with a thud.


	2. Chapter 2

Koenma stood sputtering at the edge of his desk. He had been Prince of Reikai for centuries and had never, _never_ had anyone just drop into his office in such a manner. He looked up to his detectives and was surprised to see that both looked as confused and bewildered as he was. Mentally shaking himself of his stupor, he rounded the corner of his desk to kneel next to the body of the young woman.

Seeing their boss in action spurned the demons into movement as well. All three came to the body of the young woman; Koenma and Kurama kneeling on either side of her while Hiei stood next to the fox. Once the three had taken up a position closer to the girl, they took notice of her aura. It seemed to be fluctuating harshly around her, as if it had lost its stability. Both Koenma and Kurama reached out to grasp a hold of the woman's shoulder in an attempt to turn her over on her back. The young Prince was able to touch her with no problems, but as soon as Kurama's fingers came close to the girl, he was thrown back violently.

A shocked expression crept across the fire demon's face as Kurama was getting to his feet. 'What happened fox?'

Kurama shook his head in response and walked back towards the body on the floor and his boss. As he neared closer to the girl, he noticed her aura had changed. "Koenma her aura has changed. It seems to have calmed some. What would cause that to happen?"

The demi-god looked thoughtful for a moment before he answered, "I honestly don't know. It was rather erratic when she first appeared. I wonder what would complete the balance. And who is she?"

Just as the last question was spoken, a door opened revealing King Enma wearing a particularly excited expression. "Oh thank the Kami! She's here! I wasn't expecting to see her come here on her own but since she has, we won't have to look for her. But, where is the jewel I wonder?"

Kurama and Hiei turned confused looks upon one another before looking to Koenma. The Prince of Reikai looked almost as lost as they did. "What are you talking about father? This strange girl just showed up in my office with this wild aura! Now it seems to be somewhat calmer, but what is going on?" He was extremely interested in finding out who this woman was and how she came to be in his office.

The King of Reikai simply smiled, "She is Kagome Higurashi and is the current guardian of the Shikon jewel. I believe you were sending these two out to find her, were you not?"

"Well, they were being sent to find the jewel but it was unclear as to whether or not it had a guardian. If this is her, where is the jewel and why is she here?" The Prince replied.

Taking a closer look at the girl, Enma asked "What do you mean by saying she had a wild aura? It looks pretty good to me."

Koenma looked at his father and then down to the girl. He realized then that he still had his hand on her shoulder. Cautiously, he removed his hand and watched in awe as her aura flared to life once more, dancing and licking at her form like flames. 'What in all the realms is going on?'

Looking helplessly to his father, Koenma said "That is what I meant. Her aura was doing the same thing when she first showed up, though I don't know why it was smoothed out when I was touching her. Kurama couldn't even get close to her. As soon as his fingers were near her body, he was thrown back."

Scratching his chin, Enma replied "Has Hiei tried touching her yet? Does her aura only react to demons, I wonder?"

When all three pairs of eyes turned on Hiei, he gave them a look that plainly stated 'You're all crazy' before saying, "I am not in a hurry to be purified. Koenma might be able to touch her but the fox couldn't and he has a human body."

The King thought for a moment before saying "True enough. Though, I would still like to know why and whether or not a demon can touch her. She will have to be moved to the medical ward to be checked out and I don't want my medical staff running into unknown problems if we can solve them here."

Kurama regarded his partner "I didn't even have to touch her Hiei and she repelled me. I am sure that the same thing would go for you."

"Hn." Was the only response the fox received for his efforts. The fire demon then knelt down next to the woman and reached out for her…

…and was able to touch her without a problem, just as Koenma had. This new revelation brought looks of wonder to the Reikai royalty as well as Kurama. Hiei frowned. 'I don't think I like this.' He then sat back on his heels and watched as her aura went chaotic once more. It was then he noticed the energy ties…

King Enma seemed excited once again at this turn of events but instead of saying anything further on the matter, he turned and left.

Kurama sighed heavily and leaned against the wall. The kitsune in his head was determined to give him a headache with how things were turning out. _'This just isn't fair!'_ Youko whined, flopping down on his back and angrily crossing his legs at the ankles. _'How come the hybrid and the godling get to be so close to her and we can't!'_

The redhead mentally poked at the fox, letting a frown shine through his aura, 'What do you care anyway? We haven't even seen what she looks like, we can't seem to get close to her right now and she is a miko!'

'_I know all that! Why do you think I am upset? She just showed up out of nowhere and I want to know who she is! Besides, what I can see of her looks pretty damn good to me.'_ Youko pouted.

Rolling his eyes, Kurama pushed off from the wall and addressed his boss and partner, "Well, if the Shikon is already here, then I must be going. Mother has a doctor's appointment this afternoon and I promised to take her."

Koenma merely nodded his head, still clearly absorbed in the raven haired girl occupying his floor while Hiei sent an odd look at the fox. He had heard the conversation Kurama was having with the kitsune and decided to taunt the fox before he left, 'Interesting turn of events, ne? Isn't too often that I can get close to a female that you can't.'

Youko glared at Hiei and sent a snarl across the mind link _'Like it matters! She isn't even conscious! Don't fret though…I will always give you a chance. And,' _Youko smirked _'I'll even be awake enough for it to matter.'_

'Hn. Yes, she isn't even conscious and still managed to throw your furry ass.'

'Hiei! Youko! Please! I already have a headache and your banter isn't helping.' Kurama growled and slammed shut the door to his mind while simultaneously turning his back on the kitsune before making his way out of the office.

Koenma had remained unaware of the exchange between the demons in his office and looked up when he heard the door close. When he turned his attention back to Kagome, he noticed something he hadn't seen before. Between the three of them were softly glowing bands of pink energy, stringing them all together. 'This just keeps getting more and more strange.'

Kagome made a small moaning noise in the back of her throat, somewhat akin to a whimper, snapping the attention of both young men back to her in an instant. Her eyelids fluttered briefly before once again falling closed.

The Prince sighed. He had been hoping she would awaken and be able to answer some of his many questions. When she remained in the land of dreams, he decided to at least turn her to her back and assess her health completely. It was obvious she had no injuries on her back because that was the side of her they had been looking at since her 'arrival'.

He then stood and moved closer to her head before he knelt down. Turning his attention to the fire demon, he spoke "Hiei. Will you please help me turn her over? It would be nice to see what the rest of her looks like at least."

The elemental apparition gave his trademark 'Hn' before taking a hold of the miko's shoulder and turning her over gently while Koenma put one hand against the back of her neck to guide her upper body to rest against his legs. Once she was situated, Koenma brushed the dark bangs from her eyes.

It was then that the two noticed a bright pink glow pulsing from the girl's chest and realized that the bands between them had darkened. The color was the same as the ties of energy that linked the three and hummed with the same brilliance of power.

"Hn. The miko's aura has changed once again. It seems to be almost non-existent now."

At first, the young ruler thought that maybe Kagome's miko-ki was going to the demon's head, until he looked once more down to the girl lying across his lap. His eyes widened in realization. 'He's right! Her aura has settled almost completely back into her body! She is emanating almost nothing!'

Before he could think too much on this turn of events, he noticed that the three of them were still making contact. Kagome was lying with her head and upper shoulders on Koenma's lap and Hiei still had his hand resting gently on her shoulder.

She felt disoriented and somewhat lost; a sensation she would relate with the feeling of being tossed asunder in the depths of the ocean, had she ever been there. The world was dark and somewhat foreboding as it swirled around her, biting at her skin and pulling on her clothes. She shook her slightly, trying to clear away the gentle haze that seemed to have formed there, in an effort to remember what had happened that led her to this point. Then, as if a light switch had been thrown, it all came back to her.

And she wished with a pitiful whimper, that it hadn't.

Still unaware of where she was, she knew what had transpired. The images of the jewel sinking into her skin and then being surrounded by her Feudal Era family as she disappeared before them flashed across her mind. As the last picture of her friends replayed itself, she studied their faces one at a time, committing every part of them to memory, even as a gentle voice was speaking to her and imparting important information to the less aware portion of her mind.

Sango, her adopted older sister, sitting with her hand on her shoulder and tears in her eyes, Kirara curled upon her shoulder; Miroku, the lecherous houshi with a truly good heart to her other side. Shippou sat in her lap, his brilliant emerald eyes gazing at her with unshed tears even as his tiny paws wrapped around her hands. Lastly, she looked to the hanyou whom she had loved for so long…and gasped silently.

All her friends had looked at her with such love and sadness as she left them…all except Inuyasha. She had lifted her eyes to lock onto the golden orbs she had admired for years, knowing he would never love her but hoping to at least see some sadness that she was being forced to leave.

She was met instead with anger and heartbreak. At first, Kagome was confused by that combination of emotions until she saw his eyes flicker briefly between her chest and a spot on the battlefield. The jewel and Kikyou.

The only two things he had ever really cared about.

As that realization was made, a cry wrought of pure anguish was torn from her throat as tears coursed down her cheeks. She had never meant anything to him…only a shard detector and the shell of the woman he truly loved. Miroku, Sango, Kirara and Shippou…they never meant anything either, not to him.

Her world stilled before it rippled and shattered around her. Kagome realized she had spent the last four years of her life with someone who honestly didn't care about her…at all. He didn't care that Sango had lost her entire family, the little Shippou had lost his parents, that Miroku had lived his life with a curse that could have sucked him into an endless void…and he didn't care that Kagome thrown away the life she had in her own time to help with a cause that really held nothing personal for her.

Kagome then became vaguely aware of strong arms wrapped around her, holding her closely to a warm chest. As the fog of her sorrow and replayed memories lifted slightly, a soft, comforting voice found her ears, whispering gentle nothings. The effect was soothing to her shredded nerves and raw emotions, settling across her soul like a warm blanket.

'Where am I?' She wondered silently, still unwilling to open her eyes even as she was aware that she was, in fact, somewhere that was real. She then became aware that the one holding her exuded spiritual powers and there seemed to be a strong sense of youki that settled against her from a hand on her shoulder. The feeling of being lost and abandoned for that short time was still to raw for her to want to face the world, so she buried her head against the chest she was being held to and let her tears fall.

The junior ruler of Reikai and the Forbidden Child were just about to test the theory that neither were really willing to accept, though Koenma was less vehement about it, when the girl that their problem was centered on let loose a anguished sob from her throat. The sound was so full of pain and utter torment that Koenma immediately wrapped his arms around her small and visibly trembling frame and pulled her against his chest.

Hiei, while less obvious, was equally affected by the heart-wrenching sound that came from the girl and was tempted himself to comfort her. He would have too, were he any other being and had Koenma not beat him to it. As it was, when the scent of her tears assaulted his nose, he was hard-pressed not to wrench the girl from the Prince's arms.

While Koenma seemed perfectly willing to offer such comfort to the distraught young woman and not miffed in the least that the three were somehow bound to one another, Hiei was not quite as understanding. In fact, the hybrid was thoroughly pissed off.

Although a violent temper and a continuous look of simmering rage always seemed present with the fire apparition, he was usually indifferent to most things. Right now, however, such was not the case. This entire day had been fucked up from the get-go and it only seemed to get more complex and explicitly confusing as the time went by.

He understood, vaguely, the mission that he and the fox were to be sent on. Reikai _always_ had a hard on for ancient relics and the older and more powerful they were, the more they were wanted. However, when they were just about to learn the specifics of said mission, a body appeared in Koenma's office, seemingly out of nowhere, and startled them all. Even the cool and calculating fox had been shocked. So much so, that were his hair and tail not already silver, he was sure they would have been turned that color…or something close.

As if that hadn't been enough, the fox was refused so much as a touch to the girl while both he and the Prince of Reikai were now seemingly attached to her. Not in a proverbial or sentimental sense either. It rapidly became apparent that the strange woman, proclaimed a miko by King Enma himself, was something more than just a woman. For a reason, as of yet unknown to the two, the girl, Kagome, had become entwined with their very auras. So much so, that without contact, her own aura would become violently unstable.

As if being unwillingly bound to some human female, a _miko_ at that, wasn't enough to thoroughly put his underwear in a bind, he seemed to have been entered into said agreement with none other than the Prince of Reikai. While he didn't hold the hatred towards the young prince that he once had, he still didn't have a reason to like him. Hiei never made it a point to push his buttons as Yusuke did, but he didn't fight the smirk or, _very_, occasional chuckle that would occur as a result of such torment being brought down upon the prince.

While the hybrid was sitting and stewing over his newest predicament (honestly, did _all_ the Kami despise him?) he suddenly became aware that his anger was ebbing. Scratch that…it was being absorbed! He sat there a moment longer to ponder the strange feeling. It was exactly as it felt…all the angry emotions that were flying through his mind, as well as the raging of his opposing sides, were slowly being withdrawn from his body, only to be replaced by a strange, but not unwelcome, feeling of total calm.

Weird was the word that came to mind first. Though it was quickly shoved out of the way and replaced with another…_impossible_.

He sat there and stared in unhidden shock at the girl that was wrapped protectively in Koenma's embrace. The hybrid was actually able _see_ the exchange of the hostile emotions he possessed for the calmer ones of the miko skating across the band of pink energy that tied them together. Dark, raging energy was passing into her form and soft, comforting energy was seeping into his. He turned his startled gaze to Koenma and growled "What in Kami's name is going on?"

The whole world had ceased to exist for the Prince of Reikai while he held the the sobbing girl in his arms. Being a god, Koenma never really had a chance to be around women, at least, not women that were corporeal and not the deity of death. If he was perfectly honest with himself, though he wouldn't admit it to anyone else, he hadn't even had the opportunity to be with a female. Now he was sitting in his office with a beautiful, young woman snuggled tightly into his chest and clinging to him as though he was the last real thing in her life.

At that moment, life was good for him.

And then, it was ruined with a growled question from the, temporarily, forgotten fire apparition. He raised his head to lock eyes with Hiei and had just opened his mouth to tell him that he truthfully had no idea, when the precious burden against his chest shifted away from him. His heart clenched in his chest when he looked into her face to see the most beautiful blue eyes known to man, shrink-wrapped in unshed tears.

Kagome had been peaceful for the first time since the start of the final battle with the dark hanyou, cradled against a very masculine and warm chest with a gentle hand on her shoulder, when she felt a sudden rise in youki, and a stream of darker emotions flooded her. Letting her own aura flare slightly, she realized the emotions were radiating from the person who owned the hand on her shoulder. Kagome wasn't aware of what caused the sudden rise in the hostile feelings, but was compelled to help. She focused all the calm and love she could into a gentle stream of energy and wrapped it around the youkai next to her.

She felt him tense at first and then succumb to her soothing ministrations. Once he had relaxed somewhat, Kagome felt around his aura more and found that not only was he youkai…he was a hybrid. Something rarer to find than a hanyou, for they were looked down upon even more than a half-youkai, half-human and normally didn't live longer than a few days following their birth. Knowing that he was birthed of opposing elements, the young miko felt her heart go out to him. He had a hard life and was a living testament to strength and determination.

Kagome was then shaken from her private admiration when she heard him growl, obviously at the one holding her, "What in Kami's name is going on?"

Taking that as her cue to buck up and explain things to the two she now knew she was attached to, she removed herself, albeit regretfully, from the comforting arms around her to look for the first time in to one of the faces to which she would be forever bound.


	3. Chapter 3

His breath had caught in his throat when she first moved against him. He didn't really want to let her go just yet and was, on some level, scared to do so. Already, he was beginning to feel a sort of protective, if somewhat possessive, feeling steel over him. And, being that he himself was rather inexperienced with all things female, he was unsure how she would react to him and their close proximity. While his intentions had solely been to comfort Kagome when she began sobbing in her unconscious state, the feeling of her warmth and softness pressed against him was starting to mess with his mind…as well as his body.

However, when the raven-haired woman on his lap turned her face to his, all coherent thought left his mind. Shocked would have been an accurate description for what Koenma was currently feeling. As he sat staring into endless pools of blue, he found himself lost and confused. Those eyes held more emotions in them than he thought were even possible to experience at once and found that some of the very things he was feeling were reflected back at him.

And, as if those eyes that seemed to ensnare your very soul weren't enough for him to focus on, he found that the rest of her would do just as well. As his eyes roamed over her face, Koenma realized that in his lap sat a true beauty. Her skin was a softly glowing alabaster; she had rose-tinted lips that would look good wearing a pout or a smile, high cheek bones and dark lashes that framed those stunning eyes. At that point in time, he was truly thankful that she had shifted her position in his lap and was now sitting more across his legs.

When she cocked her head in an unbelievably adorable and innocent way, Koenma could manage nothing but a smile; for fear that his voice might not agree to work properly.

Hiei had been watching the exchange between the miko and his boss with barely veiled amusement. Although he was, as of yet, unable to see the woman's face, the expressions that crossed Koenma's were nearly priceless and Hiei found himself wishing he had a camera.

He almost laughed out loud when he heard the Prince of Reikai's breathe hitch and then watched as a look of slight relief flashed across his face as Kagome moved away from him to re-settle her sitting position to better regard him. At first, he had though the look of relief was because maybe, just maybe, the girl wasn't as pleasing to the eye as they had thought her to be while sleeping. It was at that moment, that the fire demon caught the musky aroma that was lightly scenting the air.

The fire demon then bit into his own tongue to stifle his laughter.

Although he was never given to show any emotions really other than anything dark and angry, the situation he was currently in was becoming more amusing, and less irritating, by the minute. If Hiei had known that watching the demi-god squirm because of a seemingly pretty girl would have been so delightful a thing to watch, he would have long ago taken him for a trip to the Ningenkai. This was proving to be more entertaining than watching Yusuke push every button the junior ruler had. And the obvious scent of innocence that came from both beings in front of him only added to the comical aspect of it all.

That and the girl seemed to be totally unaware of the predicament that Koenma was now in.

'If only the fox and the detective were here to see this.' Hiei thought with a soft chuckle.

The slight sound from the youkai behind her brought Kagome out of the eye-lock she was currently engaged in. She wasn't sure whether she was thankful or disappointed by that.

While she had been wrapped in his arms, Kagome had been swimming in a feeling of perfect comfort and safety which, although not unpleasant, was something she had only rarely felt. And the few moments when she had experienced such a thing, she could only recall them having been accompanying the hugs her father used to give her. That had given her the impression that she was most likely being hugged by someone who would fit a father figure.

She was almost depressed by that thought; she had always hoped to find that kind of solace in a boyfriend or a male that could fill that role or more. Then, when she had finally scrounged up the courage to face the one bringing her such peace at the time, she was shocked to find that he wasn't a father figure at all. Rather, he was an extremely handsome young man, who appeared only slightly older than her, with sparkling hazel colored eyes that bordered on looking like warmed honey.

Then he smiled at her and she felt her heart lighten a little more; even as butterflies seemed to begin a dance in her tummy. And then, the other presence in the room chuckled, forcing her eyes from his so she could turn and regard the demon that had been throwing her miko senses into overload. She had thought it would give her time to settle her rapidly beating heart and convince those damned butterflies to go to sleep.

Fate however was not on her side, for as she turned her gaze to the youkai behind her, said butterflies decided that dancing wasn't enough and went into a full-on frenzy.

Now, while the young man whose lap she was currently situated in was all sorts of pleasing to the eyes, the youkai before her was definitely sexy in that dangerous demon way that always seemed to get her in trouble. While one was warm, loving and comforting, the other seemed cold, dangerous and, if the chance presented itself, passionate. 'Must be the elements.'

As he had watched the silent interaction of Kagome and Koenma, Hiei became increasingly curious as to what exactly this girl looked like. While humans weren't really his cup of tea, he had found a few of them to be passably good looking and from the reactions that the demi-god was having to the one on his lap, his curiosity was nearly eating at him. 'Damn fox is rubbing off on me.'

Just as he was mentally counting the ways to make a kitsune pay for passing his annoying habits onto him, Kagome turned fully to look at him.

It was then he realized exactly why Koenma was in the state he was. And he was instantly wondering if he could ever recall anyone, youkai or ningen, looking quite so delectable. The idea that he thought her to be beautiful caught on his awareness for a second momentarily irritating him for thinking such things about a female at all, before his anger was once again swept away.

For the life of him, he couldn't help the way he was thinking right now. This girl was truly stunning! The look in her eyes was enough to give him pause on its own. As he studied the rest of her face, Hiei found that some rather inappropriate thoughts started creeping into his mind. He had just successfully stuffed them into a closet when he took a breath to calm himself…and caught her scent. 'Curses!'

The fire demon had already taken note of the innocent scent the girl possessed, but now that her attention was on him, the other aspects of her own personal aroma were hitting him full force. And damned be to the Kami if his traitorous body wasn't going through the same thing as Koenma's. While the godling was effected enough simply by the sight of the woman known as Kagome, Hiei had to struggle with her scent as well. It was tantalizing to him; floating across his senses as a gentle blend of rain and sakura blossoms, with a tint of cinnamon that he could only guess represented her powers.

And then, an earthy smell crept into his nostrils and he groaned. The girl was seemingly being affected by them both even as she was throwing their bodies into restless states.

While Kagome had studied the youkai in front of her, she became increasingly aware of the veritable silence that had crept into the room. Although she could appreciate silence as well as the next person, it was quickly becoming too much to handle in the small room. So, the young miko decided it was time to break the tension and start in with the explanations. She had seen plenty of questions hovering in both pairs of eyes and knew it would be the best way to start things off.

"My name is Kagome, Kagome Higurashi. I apologize for my rather impromptu and unannounced entrance." She slipped off the lap she was in to better look at the two, before turning her attention back to the comforting young man. "Where am I exactly? I know where I was but something unexpected happened and I ended up here." She finished, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth as a slight blush of embarrassment tinted her cheeks.

The sound of her voice was just as sweet and melodic as they had thought it would be and it forced them to shake off their trance-like states so they could become involved in the conversation that she was attempting to start. It seemed they were all just as curious and eager for answers as the one next to them.

Koenma smiled at her once more, taking in her blush, before answering "Kagome, my name is Koenma. You are in my office in the Reikai, the spirit world. This," he gestured to the fire demon, "is Hiei. He is one of the detectives I have working for me currently. If I may ask, what happened that brought you here and where is the Shikon?"

At the mention of the accursed jewel, Kagome tensed. Where they after the jewel too? Had she traded in Naraku for even more power hungry beings?

Seeing tension gather in her face, Koenma pressed a gentle hand to her shoulder "You don't have to worry, Kagome. We have no intentions of harming you. We in the Reikai have a duty to confiscate artifacts of power that have the ability to cause damage to the human race. When you 'arrived' in my office, I was just preparing Hiei and another of my detectives to find the jewel. We weren't sure whether or not it had a current guardian."

Kagome looked to Hiei silently questioning him if this was in fact the truth. When he gave her a slight nod, she visibly relaxed and a small smile curled the corners of her mouth up. "What era am I in then? I have been spending the past four years traveling back to the Feudal Era through a well on the grounds of the shrine I live at to piece together the Shikon." The young miko then proceeded to tell Koenma and Hiei of her adventures to the past up to and including the defeat of the vile hanyou, though she left out what exactly happened to the Shikon, and her subsequent arrival in the Reikai.

If either one had been impressed by the girl in the slightest before, it didn't hold a candle to the level of respect and admiration they now held. This young woman had experienced one hell of a ride that could very well have resulted in the ending of the world as they knew, had her self-declared mission failed. They realized that although she was the one who had shattered the jewel, it was an accident and she had gone above anything that could have ever been expected of her in pushing aside her life to make it whole once more. This brought Koenma to another question that had previously been somewhat unanswered.

"Kagome, if you don't have the jewel in your possession and a wish wasn't made, then where is it? If it is out there somewhere, it must be found immediately!" The junior ruler stated firmly. He now was able to understand why it was of the utmost importance to have the jewel secured in the vaults of Reikai.

Kagome sighed. She was hoping she wouldn't have to explain all of this now. She didn't fully understand why it had happened at all, though she did know what had happened. However Kagome knew that Hiei and Koenma deserved to know all that she did. After all, they would be sharing one another's company for an…_extended_ period of time.

"Well," she started, worrying her lower lip again, "the Shikon doesn't really exist anymore. Not as the form of the jewel, anyway. Once Naraku was defeated, the jewel was reabsorbed into my body, but, instead of simply reclaiming its place in my side, it fused with me. So, in essence, the Shikon is no longer a jewel…the Shikon is me. I _am_ the Shikon no Tama. Which is why the two of you seem to be linked to me…though that was apparently the jewels decision, not my own."


	4. Chapter 4

If Kagome had a feather in her possession at that time, it would have been the only thing needed to knock both men fully on their asses. Koenma and Hiei sat staring at her with eyes as big as saucers and matching looks of pure incredulity.

Kagome sat there for a few seconds, looking at the two who were regarding her as though she had suddenly sprouted wings and wondered if they would snap out of it soon. After nearly a minute had passed, she decided to do something. Normally, she would have left them be to come around on their own, however neither seemed to be even breathing at the moment. Choosing to be discreet as best she could, she coughed lightly and began to talk once more.

"So…I am sure that at least one of you has questions, right?" She asked rather hesitantly, looking from Hiei to Koenma and taking a small breathe of relief to see their eyes clear and refocus on her. "I will answer any you have as best I can." She finished with a small reassuring smile to the both of them before settling back on her heals.

Hiei seemed to still be lost somewhat in his own thoughts, so Koenma decided that he did indeed have questions and would like them answered. 'Besides, she has such a nice voice.'

He waited for a moment for the girl to turn her gaze back to him and once she did, he smiled softly, "I think I have questions, but this is all so astounding that I am not really sure where to start. Do you know what happened to make the jewel fuse with you? Instead of remaining as it was?"

Hearing the first and foremost question in his mind falling from the mouth of the godling, Hiei immediately turned his attention back to the miko. Even though he was unaware of it, his mind was tossing around most, if not all, of the same questions Koenma had. He had been trying to sort them all out and find the most prudent one, but there didn't seem to be one that mattered more than another. Now, a question had been asked and he was about to at least have some answers.

Immediately after Koenma's question had been asked, Kagome began worrying her lip again. There was so much to tell, how would she get through it all? Would they believe any of it? Hell, she wasn't even sure _she_ believed it all, though she knew it to be true. She sighed heavily before un-tucking her legs from beneath her, stretching out and crossing her legs at the ankles.

"Well, the jewel was originally forged by the priestess Midoriko, combining her soul with the souls of three others in a last effort to end a horrible fight. Midoriko was the most powerful miko alive and her soul was enough at the time to balance out the three youkai that were trapped with her. Apparently, after I was born with the Shikon in my side, my powers combined with Midoriko's were enough to mostly calm the conflict inside the jewel.

But, when the jewel was torn from my side and shattered, it destroyed the fragile balance that was achieved. Each shard was possessed of both a miko's purity and a youkai's darkness. But, there was more youki than miko-ki, therefore when someone with an evil heart or evil intentions got a hold of a shard it was easy for them to draw upon the darkness already within and use it to gain power or manipulate someone.

Most humans really had no desire to possess the shards which left demons to take them up. After we had found all the shards and reformed it, the jewel had been purified once more by my hands before returning to me. Unfortunately, some of them, mainly the ones in Naraku's possession, had been tainted so thoroughly that even after being purified, the balance of darkness to light was severely off kilter."

She paused then, both to take in a much needed breathe and to let her words sink in. It was a lot of information to digest and she wasn't even to the really sticky part yet. As she looked from the kami to the youkai, she saw the unanswered questions still lingering in their eyes and mentally sighed. Kagome hated the fact that they had both been drug into this mess with her against their will and was silently praying to everything she knew of that they wouldn't hate her when she finished her story.

"That isn't all there is to it, is it Kagome?" Koenma asked, already knowing the answer but thinking she needed at least a little verbal prodding. While he was sure she wouldn't withhold anything from them, it seemed hard for her to talk about it and he thought that maybe knowing that at least he still wanted to hear what she had to say would help her. When she looked to him with a small, thankful smile on her face, he knew he had been right.

Kagome smiled at the young prince. She couldn't help it. He had been so kind to her since she had arrived and it felt nice. At the same time, something pulled at her heart. Would he still be so nice and understanding once he knew the truth? She wasn't so sure. For some reason, the thought of him, or Hiei, hating her made her heart fall. 'Well, I'll never know unless I tell them everything.' She thought with a sigh.

Shaking her head sadly, Kagome answered "No. It isn't." She looked once more from Koenma to Hiei and began speaking softly, "I am sure that you have both noticed the energy between the three of us?" They nodded, "And the way that my aura goes crazy if you aren't touching me?" Again, they nodded and she sighed. "Well, apparently, since the balance was upset I am no longer able to keep myself stable. I only have miko energy; powers of purification and healing. They fall along the lines of spiritual energy, but it isn't enough anymore. Not only do I seem to require a strong spiritual influence, I also need an equally strong youkai influence. I have neither, which is where the two of you come in.

Since there were youkai souls originally in the jewel as well as Midoriko's, my mortal life has been altered…in fact it seems I have become an immortal. However, the problem lies within the unbalance of spiritual, miko and youkai energy. The spiritual side is nearly non-existent which is leaving the miko powers to battle the youkai powers. The instability in my aura is caused because my miko-ki is trying to slowly purify the youki that has become a part of me. I don't have the youki needed to oppose the miko-ki and I don't have enough of the rei-ki to balance the others.

In addition to all of that, by forming with my body, the jewel has increased in power significantly…meaning I have as well. If I am taken captive by someone who knows anything on manipulating artifacts, I can be used just as easily as the jewel was. It seems that the jewel got fed up with being used for others evil designs in the past and has latched on to the two of you in an attempt to both balance me out and protect me. I don't know why you were chosen personally, though I think they made good choices. I am terribly sorry for all of this. If it had been my decision, I would have at least asked your opinions on the matter."

Kagome finished the last sentence in a whisper. Her head hurt, her heart hurt, she was hungry and she desperately wanted to crawl in to the deepest, darkest hole she could find. Once again, people that had nothing to do with the accursed jewel were being pulled into its path and were being forced to guard it…guard her. She could already feel anger rising in Hiei and she was sure it was directed at her. The guilt she felt at the possible replay of the past four years was almost too much for her to take, and she sniffled slightly as tears began making their way down her cheeks.

Koenma had been following Kagome's story intently since she first started telling it, tearing things apart as she went and analyzing them, and had been slowly coming to the conclusion she led him to. Even had she not told him, he knew that they were connected. He felt a pull on his soul and even though he could tell she thought he would be mad about the entire thing, he was actually…rather happy. Odd as it sounded, he was almost relieved to know that he was tied to Kagome in such a way. Although he was, in truth, completely inexperienced with girls, he imagined that had he ever had the time to picture the perfect one, even the one in his head would have been lacking compared to Kagome.

In the demi-god's eyes, there wasn't a more perfect being to have ever existed. She was strong, compassionate, courageous, kind, unbiased and seemed to genuinely care about everyone. He even wondered if she had truly hated Naraku…or merely felt sorry for him. All of this, and up until less than a day ago, she had been human…and a miko. Mikos were bred and raised to despise and destroy all things that were possessed of anything less than 100 percent ningen blood. Even if she hadn't been raised as a miko or trained in their ways, it was something that was supposed to have been a natural reaction for them. Kagome however hadn't cared about that. Her first love had been a hanyou, she had adopted, in a way, an orphaned kitsune kit and traveled with and befriended hanyou and youkai alike.

She truly was a special person. He was somewhat surprised that he already felt so strongly about her, given that they had known one another for less than 24 hours. The young prince already knew that he would have to fight tooth and nail not to fall for her. But, the thought of falling in love with the girl wasn't so bad a thing, as far as he was concerned. And now, she was connected to him in a way he never knew existed. Not only that, but she was immortal as was he. The thought that he would get to spend the rest of his long life connected to such a wonderful being made him smile…a genuine, happy smile.

Until he heard her sniffle and saw the fat drops of water crashing down upon her pale hands.

Hiei had been sitting idly by throughout the entire thing. In truth, he was extremely impressed with the woman and her story, though he would never show it. However, his slight feelings of admiration were slowly starting to give way to anger. Sure, being mad seemed like a normal thing for the fire apparition but the word 'mad' didn't quite encompass what he was feeling at the moment.

The entire tale that the miko had just laid open for he and the godling was almost more than even he could wrap his mind around. While he wasn't quite the brain the fox was, Hiei wasn't stupid by any means. He hadn't lived this long without having a few brains in his head and the fact that something that he was involved in was almost beyond his comprehension had him severely angered.

Aside from that, he was positively livid at the fact that he had been pulled into such a situation without his prior knowledge or consent. He was used to the normal, mostly bullshit, missions that the demi-god sent him on and came to accept, though not necessarily like, the idea that he didn't have a choice in them. He was on probation and being part of the Reikai Tantei was how he was working it off. This, however, was totally unacceptable in his mind. Granted, it was an interesting thing and proved to be challenging in some way shape and form, but still! He had no choice in the matter! And what was worse, not only was he forever bound to a human-female-turned-powerful-artifact for all of eternity, he was bound to her along with his boss!

And now that he was on this inward, mental rant, what was it about that girl! He had just met her and already his traitorous body was starting to think that maybe it wouldn't be so bad to be stuck with her forever. How inappropriate was that! Not only did his body react to her and her smell, and Kami did she smell good, but he could already feel that it was more than just the desire to push her against the wall and rut with her until she couldn't stand.

The base desires of his youkai wanted her, the Jagan seemed more than intrigued by her and even the damned dragon felt as though it was simply _itching_ to get closer to her! Every ounce of youki in his being was pulling towards this girl and when he saw the grateful smile she gave Koenma, he nearly lost it and had to choke down a growl. He, the feared Forbidden Child, was being reduced to a simmering ball of untamed rage simply because he wanted this woman almost more than he had ever wanted anything…and it was grating on his nerves.

All thoughts of his traitorous being and his internal ranting were stopped cold in their tracks when he heard the girl sniffle and smelled salt in the air.

It seemed as though Koenma and Hiei were, for once, on the same page in their thinking when they heard the pitiful sound coming from the woman sitting between them. Hiei unconsciously put his hand on her shoulder in a comforting gesture even as Koenma reached out and tilted her chin to look at him. When he raised her face to his, the prince felt his heart twist in his chest. Her eyes looked so sad, lost and lonely. She appeared to have the entire weight of the world resting on her shoulders and instantly wondered if there were some things that had been left out of her tale.

Certainly no being that was as powerful and strong-willed as Kagome could look so completely tortured unless she had been broken down to a point of near irreparability. Her soulful sapphire eyes looked haunted and he knew in his heart that something more had happened to her. 'I wonder if it has something to do with the hanyou she loved.'

"Kagome…what is it? I know this is a lot for anybody to take on and I am sure that you are feeling a little overwhelmed, but I am here to help you. I promise I'll do whatever I can, but you have to talk to me." The junior ruler of Reikai said softly, lightly brushing his thumb across her cheek catching her tears.

The young miko listened to his soft voice and knew he wasn't lying, but how much more could she tell him? Tell them? Her feelings over everything…would they matter? Would either one sincerely care that her first, and as of yet only, love continuously ditched her for a dead woman? Or that the same one she loved for so long had let his last look to her be one of utter contempt and hatred? That she had lived the last four years being degraded and broken down by the only person to hold her heart?

Could she tell them that she feared they would hate her, as he had?

Before she was forced to say anything more, the door to the office was flung open and a loud voice was heard. "Oi toddler! What in the hell kind of a mission was that!"


	5. Chapter 5

Yusuke had been pissed off continuously for the last two days. Koenma had called, waking him up as usual, to go on yet _another_ mission and this time his only partner was Kuwabara. Koenma had said that it wasn't anything dire and that the demons wouldn't be needed. Of course, he had been right and once he and Kuwabara had reached their destination, they had dispatched of the low-level youkai with practiced ease.

However, despite the simplicity of the mission, the young detective was still in a very foul mood. He absolutely hated wasting his time and skills on things as trivial as stupid demons who somehow managed to wander into the Ningenkai. He didn't have to worry about breaking dates with Keiko anymore, since she had dumped him a year earlier for a more 'stable' boyfriend, but always being on call for the junior ruler was still severely inhibiting. Yusuke liked sleeping in late now that school was long since over and it never failed that Botan would wake him up entirely too early.

They had been done with this Kami forsaken mission for over two hours and had just now gotten a portal opened to the Reikai. Botan had been off running 'personal errands' or some such thing, which just translated to fucking off to Yusuke. He was beyond pissed off and right now wanted nothing more than to lay into the boy wonder that was his boss.

Not even bothering to knock, the detective firmly planted his foot on the door that led to Koenma's office, knocking it inward with a resounding crash, "Oi toddler! What in the hell kind of a mission was that!"

Upon his intrusion he had been expecting the natural flow of curses and choice words of the toddler accompanied with said deity either sitting at his desk pouring over paperwork or pacing rapidly across the expanse of his desktop, all while sucking furiously on his pacifier.

Once Yusuke was just inside the doorway, however he noticed that Koenma wasn't at his desk in anyway…or even near it really. In fact, he was sitting on the floor of his office, in his teenage form. To top it all off, he was perched next to an attractive young woman who was sitting between him and…Hiei? What's more, the girl appeared to have been crying and it looked as though Koenma was trying to console her. Hell, even the hybrid almost looked upset by something.

Yusuke blinked…

…and blinked once more. He was literally tongue tied! The poor detective was completely at a loss for words and the fact that the room had suddenly become eerily quiet wasn't helping him at all. Just as he was about to force something resembling a sentence out of his throat, Kuwabara spoke up and he jumped. He had even forgotten that the big dolt was standing behind him!

"Hey Urameshi! Move outta the way! What are you just standing there for anyway?" Kuwabara said loudly, shouldering his partner out of the way roughly, only to be greeted by the same site and rendered just as immobile as Yusuke.

Kagome had been nearly scared out of her very skin when the door to the quiet office was thrown inward almost violently and a young man stepped through, cursing about a mission. She remembered the mentioning of missions from Koenma and could only assume that the man standing in the doorway with an extremely befuddled look on his face was one of the detectives he had mentioned. As she sat staring at the gaping boy, she briefly wondered how it was possible that he could solve missions of any kind when he seemed shocked still at seeing the three of them on the floor.

Sure, Kagome knew it was most likely an odd thing to see, if the amusement she felt in Hiei's aura was any indication, but still…this guy was supposed to be a protector for the human realm?

Following the initial scare of such an outburst was an almost tangible sense of tension that was beginning to make Kagome feel uneasy. She had been feeling the presence of another, as of yet unknown, being just outside the door and since the young man with the slicked back hair was still looming in the doorway, she wasn't able to make anything out.

She looked once more to the male only to find that he was still doing a rather impressive job of a landed fish. Just as it looked like he was going to say something, he was shoved the rest of the way into the room by a rather large man with bright orange hair and after another outburst, a shoving match was soon underway, forcing Kagome, Hiei and Koenma to standing positions to avoid being caught in the fray.

The Prince of Reikai was now thoroughly upset. He had been having a nice, albeit confusing, afternoon and the one person that could inevitably ruin it had indeed done so. He had just been lost in those midnight eyes that he was slowly coming to love looking into when Yusuke burst through the door and started cursing. Then, he had stopped short and ogled the three of them, opening and closing his mouth with a look on his face that spoke clearly of his disbelief.

Had the detective interrupted any other time and reacted as such, the young lord would have been hard pressed to tamp down his laughter. Once again looking to the face of the confused detective, he almost felt a chuckle threaten to break free until he watched Kuwabara shove Yusuke aside and throw a few words his way, which inevitably started a ruckus.

Now, he, Kagome and Hiei were forced to remove themselves from their comfortable, and almost intimate, sitting arrangements so as not to be trampled. He could feel the confusion in Kagome and gently placed his arm around her waist. He smiled to himself when she seemed to cuddle closer to his form. It was then that he noticed the anger rolling off of Hiei and the nearly murderous glint to his eyes. 'Seems like he was actually enjoying the time we were having as well.'

Kagome watched the two men tumble around the office, seemingly forgetting that there were others still present. She could easily feel Hiei's anger escalate and turned a concerned look at him. He seemed to feel her gaze and tilted his head towards her in a nearly imperceptible nod. She sent a small, comforting smile his way as she felt Koenma slide his arm around her. 'He makes me feel so safe.' She thought to herself as she pressed closer to him. At that moment, all thoughts of him hating her fled her mind and she smiled.

Before either Kagome or Koenma had noticed it, Hiei had jumped between the two humans and had forcefully thrown them apart. "Stop it you fools. I am sure you didn't come all the way here to fight." Hiei growled, irritated beyond repair that they had interrupted. Of course, part of him was thankful for the slight distraction as it kept him from further delving into his own thoughts and budding feelings for the girl that was now fitted, rather snugly he noted, against the demi-god's side.

Taking in the chagrined faces of the two rowdy young men being berated by an extremely upset fire demon caused Kagome to stifle a chuckle. They made the perfect picture of comedy and it was what she needed to lighten the burden on her heart, even if only temporarily. Apparently, she hadn't done as good a job as she thought with containing her mirth because as soon as the slight sound had left her lips, Hiei had turned to look at her with an eyebrow raised in silent question.

Seeing such a truly bewildered look on Hiei's face was all it took for Kagome to lose what little control she had on her amusement and she laughed. The whole situation seemed somehow ridiculous and endearing all at once and she couldn't take it anymore. 'Yes, Hiei might seem cold and indifferent…so like Sesshoumaru…but he is no more unfeeling than the Taiyoukai was. I think I will like being connected to him.'

Koenma had been watching the same scene as Kagome had and although he thought it somewhat amusing, he had no clue as to why she was laughing hard enough to cause tears to course down her cheeks. When her eyes opened once again and her laughter had died down to a soft giggling, he saw something in those midnight pools that he hadn't realized was missing until now…happiness. Oh how her eyes sparkled when she was happy! The young ruler vowed from that point on that he would do everything in his power to make sure that sparkle was never far away.

The soft, melodic tune of Kagome's laughter seemed to shake the two newest occupants in the office out of their momentary stupor of being chastised by Hiei, for they both turned confused and questioning looks towards her and Koenma. The young prince returned their look with one of equal uncertainty because he honestly didn't know what had caused the beautiful young woman to laugh…nor did he care really. He watched as they looked at her once more and noticed they seemed to study her this time, looking her up and down thoroughly.

Apparently, it was a bit _too_ thorough an inspection because the sound of laughter was soon cut short by a low growl that was issued by none other than Hiei.

He had been watching the scene from his position next to Kagome and while he wasn't really confused as to why she was laughing, he wasn't about to share it with the detectives. Had it just been the three of them, he might have done so, but Yusuke and Kuwabara were rapidly becoming a severe irritation that was chasing thoughts of being social quickly away. Now, he was watching the two dolts look at Kagome…and had they settled for merely looking, there would not have been a problem.

But, neither seemed to remember that youkai have an extremely good sense of smell…and neither one were abstaining to just looking. Hence, Hiei felt it necessary to issue a warning when he scented the air and saw a rather primal gleam enter Yusuke's eyes. He knew he was going to appear overprotective and that the detective wouldn't let him live it down, but he was forcibly connected to the girl and was there to protect her. At least, that is what he was telling himself.

Koenma might not have had a demon's sense of smell, but he easily recognized the look in Yusuke's eyes and had it not been for Hiei beating him to the punch with a warning, he would have outright said something. Now though, he was thinking more along the lines of a way to deflate the situation before it got too hostile. Sure he was upset by the way his two detectives were ogling Kagome and wanted nothing more than to thoroughly beat them both, but he knew that Hiei wouldn't hesitate to simply kill them.

Now, it was Kagome's turn to beat him to the punch. He had almost forgotten that she had been around demons a great deal and would most likely know what was happening.

"Excuse me, my name is Kagome." She said, holding her hand out to the dark haired boy. She had indeed been watching what was going on and knew all too well that the situation was escalating at a pace that could prove to be hazardous to the young men's health. As she reached out her hand, she could feel Hiei stare at her in question of her sanity and felt Koenma tighten his hold around her waist. 'Is it possible that neither one hate me?'

Yusuke had been silently weighing the situation at hand. He had realized just how beautiful the girl was when she started to laugh and decided right away that he might make a move on her. He had noticed the way Hiei and Koenma stood close by her, but didn't think on it much. Hiei wasn't fond of any kind of contact at all, let alone something intimate that he knew of and Koenma…shit, he didn't think Koenma had so much as even kissed a girl!

When the girl, now known to him as Kagome, introduced herself and waited on a handshake, he found his opportunity…or so he thought. Apparently, Kuwabara was on the same page as he was.

"Kagome, would you be my girlfriend?" Kuwabara said as he intercepted the handshake meant for his partner, taking her hand between both of his. Of course, this attempt was short lived for as soon as he saw the bewildered look on her face, he felt something meet the back of his head and was engulfed in darkness.

The stunned girl looked from the boy she had been introducing herself to, to the one who was now on the floor unconscious courtesy of meeting the hilt of a katana, then back. The black haired boy just grinned and stepped around his fallen comrade, "I'm Yusuke. What is a pretty, and living, girl like you doing in the Reikai with the hybrid and the toddler?"

Hiei growled and Koenma tightened his arms around Kagome. She seemed unfazed by both and answered Yusuke with a question, "What do you mean by toddler? I don't see anyone here that resembles a child." She was truly confused, she knew he meant Hiei with the hybrid comment and could only assume he said toddler in reference to Koenma, but he looked to be close to the same age as she was.

Yusuke smirked "Don't tell me you haven't seen Koenma as we normally see him. This," he started, gesturing to his boss, "is his teenage form. He doesn't seem to use it very often, though with you here, I can see why he would." He finished with a wink to the young woman that earned him a blush and another growl.

Kagome turned a questioning gaze to Koenma, "What is he talking about?"

Koenma cleared his throat "Well, most of the time I have the appearance of a child. The form is easier to maintain than this one is most of the time and if I lose this form, I revert back to the younger version. However," he started, looking indignantly at Yusuke "I don't plan to lose this body any time soon." He finished his statement by once again tightening his arm around Kagome, which she easily accepted.

"I see. Oh well, it makes no difference. You are who you are, regardless of what body you are in." The young woman said with sincerity. Kagome really didn't care what he looked like because he was still the same man…even if she was rather fond of how he looked now. She then noticed the smile that crept onto Koenma's face and the look of shock that was on Yusuke's.

Koenma was speechless. Did she just say she didn't care? He had to wonder if she really knew what she was saying with that comment, but remembered that she had befriended and fallen in love with a hanyou, which could only mean she was indeed sincere in her statement. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to disappear somewhere away from his detectives with Kagome. But, he knew that Yusuke wouldn't be dismissed so easily.

"What is it you want Yusuke that you had to come breaking into my office?" The Prince of Reikai said, his irritation at the two for interrupting his time with Kagome once more surfacing.

Yusuke had been staring intently at Kagome until he heard his boss's question, "What? Are you serious? You sent us out on another bullshit mission, that's what! You should get together a team of lower skilled detectives to take care of riff-raff like that. Where in the hell do you get off sending us off to get rid of some stupid youkai that aren't even worth the energy needed to destroy them while you are getting friendly with such a beautiful woman?" The detective huffed, pissed off again.

Koenma bristled at the comment. Honestly, it was none of his business…**she** was none of his business. "That doesn't concern you in the least Yusuke. She is here for a reason and it is something that deals with just her, Hiei and myself for the time being. If there is need for you to know more in the future, I will inform you."

"I suggest that you maintain your distance from her detective." Hiei added with yet another growl. He was impressed with how Koenma was handling the situation in all honesty. It seemed that he wasn't about to let the detective press his buttons this day.

"Whatever. It's not like you can stop me." Yusuke scoffed, waiving a hand dismissively. He knew Hiei could kill him in the blink of an eye, but Koenma had him by the balls and knew he wouldn't do it if he didn't want time added to his parole.

Hiei growled again and made to stalk straight up to the detective and remove his head from his shoulders but stopped in his tracks when he felt a wave of warmth and calm sweep over him. Instead, he turned his attention to Kagome and saw her smile at him. It was then he realized just how dangerous that smile could become to him…because he had the strangest urge to smile back.


	6. Chapter 6

The Shard Hunters sat still in Kaede's hut, each eating their dinner lost amongst their own thoughts. All of them, except for Kagome. As it was, she was the one thing on everyone's mind. The young miko that they had all come to love was now gone for good…and they were deprived of a chance to at least say goodbye.

Sango sat with a softly sobbing Shippou next to her, choking back her own tears over her lost sister. She had lost her entire family once, and now the one that she called sister was gone to her as well. She sighed heavily as her eyes roamed to where Miroku sat, staring at his hand and a small smile graced her lips. 'At least the Kazaana is gone.'

If one who knew Miroku were to look at the houshi, they would assume he was lost in thought over the final disappearance of the Wind Tunnel. However, that was not the case. Although the young monk was more than relieved that he would be allowed to live out his life, 'With a certain Taijiya hopefully', he was in fact fighting with the emotions he felt over the loss of his friend. Kagome was the light in all their lives and he was truly pondering whether or not any of them would ever be the same again.

Everyone was so completely caught up in their own thoughts that none noticed the darkening aura around Inuyasha. He had been completely silent since the final battle had ended and they had left him alone to grieve over his losses. Of course, they were assuming that he was thinking about Kagome as well…they could not have been more wrong.

In fact, all thoughts and emotions present inside the hanyou were swirling around the death of his beloved Kikyou, the wish he couldn't make and the 'stupid wench' who was the cause of it all. As he continued to brood, a new presence made itself known to the half-demon.

' _Inuyasha…such dark thoughts aren't like you. Then again, maybe it is my influence over your mind.'_

Said hanyou's head snapped up, half expecting to see someone standing in the doorway of the hut. When there was no one present, save for the rest of the group, he sniffed the air lightly and his ears twirled around. Not catching anything with his senses, Inuyasha settled back against the wall and continued to ignore his food.

Little did the dog demon know, that somewhere towards the back of his consciousness an all too familiar presence lurked in the shadows, winding his way around and through memories and plotting a most heinous course of action.

Following yet another round of heated argument, complete with many threats and more than a few growls, Yusuke, dragging a still unconscious Kuwabara, had left the office of the Prince of Reikai.

"Finally! I was beginning to think those two would never leave." Koenma said, sighing in relief and sitting down. He had already developed a headache that was turning into a migraine just as his detectives were finally convinced to leave. Yusuke had been alternating between yelling at him, glaring at Hiei, asking innumerable questions and making eyes at Kagome.

Since the two detectives had left, the three resumed their spots upon the floor and let silence fall around the room. It wasn't uncomfortable in the least; on the contrary, it was quite pleasant for all involved. Putting up with over two hours of Yusuke straight was enough to make anyone appreciate the beauty of silence.

As Koenma had sat down, Kagome sat next to him and leaned her head against his shoulder "I agree. Though I am sure they really aren't 'bad' people, Yusuke was making even my ears ring. I can't imagine how you were fairing Hiei." Turning towards the fire apparition, Kagome put a soft hand on his forearm and smiled "Thanks for not killing him though…even if I myself was entertaining the idea of strangling him."

At that last comment from the miko-turned-artifact, Hiei arched an eyebrow and a shocked look crept across Koenma's face. Did this benevolent young woman whose very body has become the Shikon no Tama due to her purity and heart say that she had thought of harming someone? Was she serious? One look at her and the mischievous twinkle in her eyes told the answer. Yes, she had indeed said those words; No, she wasn't really serious. The thought had crossed her mind in a fleeting moment of insanity, but she could never do such a thing.

'Kami she is starting to remind me of the Fox with that look in her eyes.' Hiei thought to himself as he once more studied her features before lifting his form from the floor with fluid grace and made his way to the door.

"I'm leaving for now. I am sure that this," Hiei motioned towards the strand of energy still connecting him to Kagome "will notify somehow if you require my presence?" The fire apparition hadn't meant his words to come across as harsh necessarily, but when he saw Kagome flinch slightly at his tone, he knew he had failed in doing so.

Kagome looked to him almost sadly as she nodded her head, 'Is he ready to be done with me so soon?' "Yes it will. You should feel a sort of tug on your own soul when I am becoming unstable."

Hiei nodded his head once to Kagome and once to Koenma before tightening his hand around the door handle. 'Damn! I shouldn't have even looked at her! Now, my body doesn't want me to leave. Ridiculous! I will not be controlled in such a way!' The fire apparition thought angrily as he twisted the handle and fled the room. He was irritated once more, with the betrayal of his body and the emotions he didn't want to feel that were being directed towards a certain raven-haired female.

Kagome felt a cold, emptiness creep across her heart when Hiei had left. They had all been rather comfortable with one another before, hadn't they? What had changed and why did he have to leave the way he did? Sighing heavily, she let her head drop until her chin rested on her chest, her bangs covering her eyes as her raven locks tumbled around her shoulders, forming an inky black curtain against the world.

'Why am I feeling like this? He is a full-blooded youkai for Kami's sake! I couldn't honestly expect him to put his life on the back burner simply because he was unwillingly pulled into the conundrum that is my life.'

At that moment, she desperately wanted to be back in her house…or in the feudal era…somewhere that let her feel at least a little bit at home. Suddenly, everything that had transpired since she had awoken crashed across her shoulders and she felt suffocated. She gasped for air and tried in vain to settle the incessant pounding of her heart while trying to bite back the tears that shrink wrapped her blue orbs. Succumbing to the fact that she felt more alone now than she had in years, Kagome drew her knees up under her chin, wrapped her arms about her legs and cried.

Koenma's eyes had been trained on the door of his office since the impromptu departure of Hiei. He was truly confused by his behavior. Although he knew that the hybrid was a demon of few words and rarely let emotion bleed through, the harsh way he had spoken seemed almost out of character. 'Weren't we all enjoying ourselves?' The thought almost sounded absurd to the demi-god. Never in all his long years had Koenma imagined having a decent time with Hiei…especially in the company of an enticing female.

Even though he knew Hiei's past and was more than aware that he had never even come close to choosing a 'mate', he had seen the look in the fire apparition's eyes when Yusuke had put moves on Kagome. It was jealousy. He mentally smirked at the thought of such an anti-social demon getting twisted up in a bought of jealousy over a once human female that he had just met.

It was then that he heard Kagome crying and when he turned to look at her, he was concerned to find her curled in upon herself, sobbing wretchedly into her knees. Seeing a woman of such beauty and purity reduced to a quivering mass of pain and tears was a sobering thought to the Prince of Reikai.

Gently, Koenma placed his hand on Kagome's shoulder, only to quickly steal it away when he felt her tense. "Kagome?" He started questioningly. It was obvious to him that she was tired and he knew she had been through quite an ordeal in her lifetime and it all came to a halt less than twenty-four hours prior. His heart clenched painfully in his chest when he felt a wave of unbridled sorrow pass through the link he shared with the woman. Just as he was about to question her as to what exactly was wrong, she sprung out of her position and threw herself against his chest.

He sat there stunned for a moment's time while his brain tried to comprehend exactly what was going on. He knew that Kagome was broken in more ways then one, so he assumed she was seeking comfort in him, since he had already provided it before.

Kagome sniffled a little before speaking, her words coming out slightly muffled because she had her face still pressed against Koenma's chest "It hurts so much. I am so tired of everything. Things were supposed to be better once Naraku was defeated and the jewel was completed. Why does this have to happen to me? He was purified! I personally watched his sorry hide go to hell! Can't I get some sort of break?"

At a loss of anything to say to the heartbroken female, Koenma settled for wrapping his arms tightly around her as he gently pressed his lips to the top of her head. "It will be alright Kagome. You have Hiei and I now and nothing will hurt you again. Hiei is a powerful demon and you are under his protection, as well as mine." He said softly, hoping to make her feel a little better.

"I know," Kagome started, sniffling once more and pulling away from his grasp to look him in the eyes "it's just that, it's the same thing again. All these unsuspecting people being forced to protect me! And it is all because of this damn jewel! I just want someone to be around me for me! Not because I need to be protected, or because I look like a dead lover, or because I can sense the jewel." She said, taking a much needed breath. "I just want to be loved…for me." She whispered sadly, looking down at her hands as they twisted the fabric of her clothes in her lap.

Koenma moved his hand to stop her fidgeting and noticed, on a side note, that her hands were small and fragile compared to his own…even though she knew the trials of battle. He reached out his other hand to her face and tenderly cupped her cheek, "Kagome, I can't speak for Hiei at all, but I want you to know that I would have agreed to help you even if I hadn't been "forced" to be your guardian. I know you have told me your story of the Feudal Era, but I also know there are things you left out."

Kagome turned startled eyes to Koenma, only to have them lock with his own honeyed orbs. "How do you know that I haven't told you everything?" She said softly, not daring to trust her voice. Sure there were things she had left out; like the constant torment of her entire affair with Inuyasha. Earlier, she was sure that neither would care about such things. However, this was the second time Koenma had made mention of it and now she knew he truly wanted to know, for what reason was beyond her.

Before he had a chance to answer her, she began talking once more. "The things I haven't let you or Hiei in on are really of no importance to anyone but me. Mostly, the feelings and pain. Although I loved Inuyasha, he never loved me…not really. He loved Kikyou…and always saw her in me. I was only a replacement…a 'weak and worthless imitation of the real deal' actually. She was the original guardian of the Shikon and his first, and only, love. I never stood a chance with him, but he led me on…and I let him. I just wanted to be loved."

She sighed again before continuing, noticing that her heart was feeling a little lighter, "It was always 'Kikyou was a better fighter.', 'Kikyou was prettier.' Or 'You are just a jewel detector.' It was constant but I couldn't help the fact that I loved him. I knew it would never be…could never be…but I still hoped. I am afraid that I am not good enough to even deserve your or Hiei's protection. Maybe things would have been better if I had not made it through that last battle and let Kikyou live."

At this point, Koenma was beginning to think it was a good thing that Hiei had already left. He had seen the possessiveness in the eyes of the Koorime and knew that such knowledge would have sent him into frenzy. However, he was not fairing much better, truth be told. In fact, he was positively livid at the thought that such a wonderful woman had been broken down so much by the one she had loved. Any being alive, ningen, youkai or hanyou, would be lucky and hard-pressed to find such love and devotion in another. Yet, Inuyasha, a hanyou, had been loved unconditionally by this broken hearted beauty…and she was a human miko. Truly, the beast didn't deserve her.

Before she could blink, Kagome found herself once more in the warm embrace of the godling. Unconsciously, she sighed and snuggled deeper against his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist. He started to speak and she involuntarily turned her head to press her ear to his chest, "Kagome, he was not worthy of you. I don't know much about this Kikyou person but I find it hard to believe that you could ever be considered a replacement for anything. Trust me when I tell you that I would never treat you so badly."

As the last phrase was spoken, Kagome felt her heart twitch as if reawakening. Would it be possible for him to stay this was towards her after he knew all of her? She hoped so. She liked how he felt wrapped around her and silently prayed that things would indeed be alright.

It was then that her stomach decided to make itself known once more, and a blushing Kagome pulled herself from the warm arms of Koenma with a slight chuckle, "I guess I should see about going home so I can eat and go to sleep. I am so tired." As if on cue, she stretched languidly and stood up.

Koenma followed her to a standing position with a smile, "Of course. Are you sure you want to go home right now? I can make arrangements here for you if you like. You can head home in the morning and if you want, I will even go with you. I wouldn't mind meeting your family, seeing as how we will be around one another inevitably."

'Such a sweetheart.'

Kagome smiled a genuine smile this time. "Actually, that would be nice. I am far too exhausted to face the wrath of my family's questioning right now. Are you sure I won't be a bother here?"

Shaking his head, Koenma answered "Not at all! I haven't had a good reason to take some time off in ages! Come!" He started, holding his hand out to her, "Let's go get something to eat and I will see to it you are settled in for the night."

Smiling, Kagome took his hand once more and let him lead her from the office.


	7. Chapter 7

Kagome sat on her bed, slowing turning over the piece of technology in her hands. It was Saturday and a week had passed since she had returned home from the Reikai. She had explained the new situation in it's entirety to her family already and all of them were ready to stand behind her. None of them truly understood what everything in the story meant; the real part that everyone latched onto was that she was forever tied to a youkai and a demi-god and that her lifespan would be eternal.

After being home again, the thought of being immortal began to hurt. She would sit by and watch as her family grew old and died, while she would never look much different. She had lost her surrogate family in the Feudal Era and now she knew she would lose her own too…and be around long after their demise.

Honestly, she wasn't even sure that the well worked anymore. She had been sent back to her own time by the jewel but since it still resided in her body, she thought it may be possible to still time travel. There was the same magic air about the well as when she had first started her journeys and the thought that it was still usable brought confusing emotions. She had been tempted since being home to test it out but couldn't bring herself to do it. She missed her friends of the past but was, at the same time, too scared of confronting Inuyasha to attempt it. The look of hatred he gave her before she disappeared was not lost on her and she was sure he wouldn't give her a warm welcome.

Shaking her head to rid herself of the sorrowful thoughts, she focused once more on the communicator and smiled. Koenma had given it to her the morning she left, telling her that if she should need or want anything before she required a "recharge" that said communicator would connect her directly to him. There had been quite a few times since being home that she had thought about both Koenma and Hiei; she hated to admit that she missed them somewhat. She knew they would protect her…but she wasn't so sure she would be happy with that alone.

Then two days ago, as if in answer to her unspoken thoughts, the communicator had gone off and scared the daylights out of her. Of course, it was sitting innocently on her desk and she had been in the bath at the time. When she answered it, she saw Koenma on the screen and was confused at first, seeing his blush and impression of a landed fish. It was then she realized that she had jumped out of the bath and answered the damn thing naked as the day she was born. She then blushed furiously, stuttered and apologized as best she could while setting the communicator on her desk facing the wall to get dressed. Thankfully, she was done washing anyway.

Once she got back around to talking to the junior ruler, with a blush still raging mind you, he had told her the reason for his calling was that he wanted to see her. She had raised a skeptical eyebrow at the statement, inwardly hoping that it wouldn't be just a 'business' type of meeting. He had smiled and told her he would open a portal for her at her house on Saturday evening and then broken the connection before she could question it.

It was now near seven o'clock and Kagome was still sitting on her bed thinking. She had already gotten dressed, stripped and dressed again six times, coming up with her first choice, a form fitting black dress that stopped mid-thigh, in the end. As she lifted her head to note the time, she realized how close her 'meeting' with Koenma was and began to get nervous. She had felt amazingly comfortable with him the day she had appeared in his office…but that was a week ago and maybe he had decided differently about her.

Kagome was driven to this line of thinking mostly due to Hiei's abrupt departure from Reikai on that first day. She had thought herself comfortable with him too…and had dared to think that maybe he was feeling the same. However, when he had up and left without so much as a backwards glance, the doubts she had in herself…that past with Inuyasha…and her guilt over the situation that had been impressed upon the two, resurfaced.

Even when Koenma had showed her around Reikai some and given her a place to bed down for the evening with nothing short of charm, she had still been saddened. So many people she had cared about had been hurt due to her; even beings she didn't directly know or care about personally had been harmed because of her mistake in shattering the jewel. Now, she had to sit back and watch as yet two more were set to protect her…and they didn't even have a choice as her Feudal Era friends had.

Sighing heavily, Kagome shook her head to clear her mind, but still found her thoughts distracted. She knew the portal to wherever Koenma was would be opening within the half-hour and she had to at least be able to be attentive. She had decided that if things went well with them tonight, and it wasn't a business meeting at all, she could maybe hope that he might care for her. She wished silently that things with the Fire Apparition would be as easily defined.

However, things for Kagome Higurashi hadn't been easy since falling into the well at the tender age of fifteen.

Speaking of our favorite hybrid, he was at that time, and had been for the past week, sulking in a tree. Well, maybe sulking was too pathetic a word to describe it…but pouting was definitely close enough.

He had left his boss's office in a hurry that day for good reasons. He had found himself actually thinking that being connected to that woman, '_Kagome'_, might not be too bad and had been acutely angry. He had never wanted a specific female in anyway, let alone one that had, at any point in time, been a ningen. Not only that, she was a miko! Of course, his body thought there was nothing at all wrong with the raven-haired beauty with shining eyes, and had made its opinion _well_ known to him.

Aside from that, he found that the longer he stayed in her presence, the more anxious the youki of his Jagan and Dragon seemed to get. He had felt them pull to her and it was almost stronger than the feeling the connection he had with her was. To say the least, it was disconcerting and infuriating to the diminutive demon all at once. Hiei refused to be controlled by anyone and he thought that controlling him was indeed what she was doing. He couldn't fathom his own body turning so traitorous on him; he had long ago been forced to perfect his control to keep from being torn apart by his raging blood.

All of this is what had prompted him to leave her company. He had thought that putting distance between Kagome and himself would help immensely. However, on the second night since he had met the young woman, he had been alarmed when the Jagan, while he was resting comfortably in a tree, had abruptly taken over and searched out the mind of Kagome. He was taken by surprise so quickly that his consciousness had actually been forced to the side as a bystander while the implant located the woman in question.

Initially, he had been startled when the Jagan had actually located its prey. It was then that it sunk into his thoughts that by invading her mind in such a way, he could inadvertently be purified. In response, he tried fervently to fight for control of the Jagan; only to have it acknowledge him with a sense of calm understanding before seeming to tap gently against the barriers of her mind.

Hiei had sat stock still, holding his breathe and waiting for the burn of purification to sweep over him. When the intense pain never came, he noticed that Kagome seemed to be sleeping deeply and her mind had silently granted passage to the probing of the Jagan. Hiei leaned back against the tree once more as the implant set to rifling through the girl's memories, as if trying it's hardest to gain a deeper understanding of her. Hiei himself might have been able to pull off not caring for an indefinite amount of time, however the Jagan, and even the Dragon, had different ideas.

Suffice it to say that when the eye had finished glancing about her current thoughts and began to look gently through her past memories, being careful not to harm the girl in any way, Hiei was thoroughly shocked. The Jagan normally had a malevolence to it that aided the hybrid in being a very potent weapon. It was almost comical to see a sentient thing such as the Jagan being so careful with a task it was known to be ruthless with in most other situations.

The Fire Apparition had been harshly jolted from his musings when he felt an intense wave of sorrow wash over him. It was only then that he registered the images the Jagan was pulling from Kagome's memories. He was astonished to see that the memory in question was the very event of his leaving that day. Moreover, were the things that Kagome had spoken of upon his absence.

He watched as a silent onlooker as Kagome told the godling of the things she had endured in the company of the hanyou. Once she had finished talking and the subject had been changed to her returning home, he found himself shoved into a barrage of memories.

Koenma was indeed correct in the assumption of his reaction.

Hiei found himself snarling and flexing his claws as the Jagan provided him with the memories of the many transgressions of the hanyou against the miko. He watched, seemingly through her eyes, as the girl was led on by the half-demon, only to later find him in the arms of the clay miko. He felt his own heart break a little in response to the debilitating pain she felt when he berated her and tore her down with his careless words and exclamations: 'Kikyou would never have done that.', 'Why can't you be more like Kikyou?', 'Kikyou was prettier, stronger and a better fighter than you.'

All these things swam through his mind like a mantra and he watched helplessly as the once strong woman was broken down into near nothingness at the hands of the one who held her heart. Unbidden, the current memories faded to leave the final battle in its wake. He felt a strange sense of pride and awe course through him as he watched Kagome defeat the vile hanyou…only to have it washed away in a sea of red as he witnessed the way Inuyasha had treated Kagome then…at a time when celebration was in order.

The look of intense hatred towards the young miko from the half-breed was not lost on him either…nor did he miss the final breaking of her heart when she saw it before she was forced away from the Sengoku Jidai.

As abruptly as it had started, the Jagan had closed to connection with the females mind leaving a Fire Apparition shaking with barely concealed rage in its wake. Many a tree had fallen that night to the anger of the hybrid.

Even now, five days after seeing the horrendous things the woman endured, Hiei was still ill at ease and desperately wanting to bathe his claws in the hanyou's blood. Such a fierce reaction had startled him at first, but he had waved it off as being a side effect of the bond he shared with Kagome. Though somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that wasn't the case.

Which is why he was currently sulking…pouting…in a tree that was located in no other place than the very shrine in which the miko resided. Initially, he hadn't really been aware that his late evening wanderings to a new tree had been leading him towards her. He had made notice of this two days ago but made no motion to change it. Now, he was thankful, for even has his claws once more twitched with unreleased anger, he felt himself instantly being calmed and could only chalk it up to the link he shared with Kagome.

He had decided that night to make this tree his most permanent resting spot. He felt calmer and more at ease, though no less aware, when he was nearer to her. Hiei had even ventured to the tree that was directly outside her window earlier that evening and had been slightly amused to find the miko sitting and staring anxiously at a device in her hand that looked suspiciously like a communicator from Reikai.


	8. Chapter 8

It had been an hour since Koenma had contacted Kagome and he was still sitting shocked at his desk. When Kagome had answered his call, she had apparently been bathing and had picked up the communicator in her birthday suit. He had seen her blush furiously when she noticed his own blush, and realized her mistake. Of course, he hadn't really seen anything vital. The communicator had been held close enough to her that he only saw her face, shoulders and the barest line of cleavage. Then again, for one as untouched and inexperienced as he was, it had been enough to leave him with good thoughts.

However, it wasn't just the site of her smooth alabaster skin covered with drops of water, her raven hair clinging to the moisture on her face and shoulders that had forced him into a rather comatose state. It was the scars. Lines upon lines curled up and over her shoulders, around her neck and down across her collarbones. Some of the marks appeared to be more like welts, while others looked like claw marks, and in the places where they crossed over one another, it was obvious that some were older than others.

Had the demi-god been youkai, he was sure his eyes would have bled crimson long ago. Not only had Kagome been shattered by the one she loved the most, it was apparent that at some point in time she had been tortured as well; the scars on her body had obviously been caused by both whip and claw. The thought of such a pure and loving soul being rejected by someone unworthy of her affections in the first place was enough to anger him; however, seeing her soft skin marred in such a way was unforgivable.

Koenma knew that if Hiei ever had the opportunity to lay his own eyes upon the damage done to the beauty they were now tied to, well, let's just say that he would pity whoever it was that caused it. The Fire Apparition was well known as being fierce and ruthless, having turned to a life that caused his own claws to be bathed in blood at every turn just to survive. One such as Hiei was not to be taken lightly. Being the Forbidden Child would have been a curse to any other and they would have been subsequently destroyed whilst trying to tame the opposing elements within. Seeing as how the hybrid had not only survived but had become a most ferocious and deadly opponent by forcing his raging elements to coincide, at no small amount of pain to his person, he was a most formidable foe.

Oh yes, blood was sure to be shed if the ones who had committed such atrocities were ever found. Normally, the thought of how deadly Hiei really was would have sent the Prince into a trembling fit, knowing that his life could easily be ended, should he upset the diminutive demon enough; now though, he almost felt relief knowing they were on the same side…relief and a slight bit of what would be called bloodlust. The charming young Ruler of Reikai was nearly hoping to come across those bastards, whoever they were. He truly wanted to watch Hiei rend them to shreds.

His dark thoughts of revenge were upended however, when his father, King Enma, came strolling through the door. For a minute, Koenma nearly panicked. His father never made 'casual' visits to his son and instead opted for stopping by when there was a serious problem or because something, somewhere had gotten out of hand. Absentmindedly, he glanced at the time piece on his wrist and sighed. He was supposed to meet Kagome in less than half an hour and his father seemed to be settling in.

Damnit.

He could only hope that Kagome would forgive him for being late. As it was, he was already devising a plan to help him reassure her he was sincerely sorry.

Kagome still sat on her bed waiting for Koenma. Although she hadn't know him for very long, Koenma seemed to her to be the type of being that was always punctual and even though it had only been five minutes since the appointed time had passed, Kagome began to feel the first edges of rejection and sorrow setting in.

A part of her had been expecting the harsh blow of rejection to come greet her once again but had thought that it would at least wait until they were face to face once more. Now, she began to think that he would simply stand her up and not think of her again until he felt the tug on his soul, telling him she needed him.

Just as the first vestiges of tears began to gather in her eyes, she felt a sort of rip in the air around her and looked up to find a blue haired girl on an oar floating in her bedroom. Had this happened in any one of the years preceding her first trip through the well, Kagome would have most likely fainted. However, this was years since that time and she had seen stranger things.

Inclining her head to show her curiosity, Kagome spoke "Who are you? I am sure I have never seen you before."

The blue haired girl smiled brightly before getting off of her oar and sitting next to Kagome on her bed. "My name is Botan. I am the conveyor of the recently departed to the Reikai and I am also Lord Koenma's messenger. In fact, I am here on his behalf. He is being held up by his father, Lord Enma, at present time. He wanted me to let you know that he is sorry for making you wait but he will have things wrapped up within the hour."

Kagome couldn't help but smile at the Ferry Girl. She seemed extremely pleasant, if painfully cheerful, and decided that she was a good choice for the job she held. When Kagome had been mortal, the idea of a skeleton in a cloak carrying a scythe being the one to take her beyond wasn't the most comforting. Seeing such an agreeable person as Botan made her heart a little lighter knowing that it would be she who would escort her precious family.

That wasn't the only reason for her improved mood however. Botan had also told her that Koenma was merely being tied up in a matter with his father and with that piece of information; the doubts that had surfaced began to recede. Although inside she felt like slapping herself for already putting the gentle prince in the same light as Inuyasha, she couldn't shake the fact that she was still broken. She had given her love and her heart freely; only to have them torn asunder and thrown back in her face time and again.

Remembering that she still had company, she turned to Botan and smiled "Would you like to join me downstairs for some tea? My family will be gone for the next two weeks and I haven't really had anyone around."

Nodding her head excitedly, Botan answered "I would love to! Though, I can't stay much longer than that right now. There are always souls that need guidance to where they belong."

"I understand," Kagome started, standing from her sitting position and walking towards the door with Botan in tow "it must be hard to see people come and go like that."

After their tea was consumed and they had spent a few minutes in idle chit-chat, Botan stood and turned to hug Kagome. "Seeing as how the boss hasn't told me the nature of your acquaintance with him, I can only hope I see you in the future. I have had a nice time Kagome."

As the young woman watched her new-found friend create a portal, she smiled and nodded in agreement. "I have had a nice time as well. I am sure we will see each other again and you are free to pop in whenever you choose to. I am usually here and if I am not, well, let's just say that my family has seen its fair share of oddities."

Once Botan had left, Kagome made her way back upstairs to freshen up some. No sooner had she completed the task at hand and there was a knock on the front door.

She honestly had no idea who to expect at this time of night and hoped against hope that it wasn't Houjo…or any of her other "friends" for that matter. They seemed to have a thing with simply dropping by as of late and she was in no mood to entertain them this night.

Seeing as how Fate seemed to enjoy her as much as a child did their favorite toy, Kagome was preparing for the worst and when she opened the door she was shocked at the gaze that met hers.

Inwardly, Koenma was cursing a blue streak. Why did his father have to have such rotten timing? Before the King of Reikai had a chance to delve into whatever reason he was there, Koenma excused himself and went to talk to Botan.

A mere five minutes later, he had sent Botan to Kagome's with his message and was now settled in across from his father. They both sat regarding one another for a moment before Enma spoke, "Koenma, since the records on Kagome are far from detailed or complete, can you enlighten me? All that is really known of her is that she is the most powerful miko since the days of Midoriko; she is the Guardian of the Shikon no Tama and is a time traveler. Other than that, the details are rather fuzzy."

Koenma sighed. He knew this would be coming but had hoped it could wait until tomorrow. After all, he had waited an entire week already hadn't he? Nevertheless, he knew he had no choice but to answer. Heaving another sigh, the junior ruler began to recount all that Kagome had told him, starting with the history of her travels through time.

Enma took everything in, happy to finally know more about the Priestess of Legend. While he had known of her for centuries, since the defeat of the hanyou, he only had pieces of information. Now that the entire picture was coming together, he couldn't have been more pleased. That is until Koenma told him that the Shikon had disappeared upon completion and once again re-entering Kagome's body and changing her into the physical form of the jewel, instead of her remaining its guardian.

That last piece of knowledge sent the king into a near panic. "Kami! I don't know what to do about this now! While I am most pleased that she was able to defeat Naraku and complete the jewel, there was enough risk to her life when she was the guardian. Now that she is the living embodiment of the Shikon, her life is surely forfeit!"

Sensing the rising distress in his father, Koenma immediately raised his hands in a placating manner. "Father! Calm down! There is more to the story. Apparently, according to Kagome, the jewel grew tired of being used for evil intent which is why it fused with her. It also seemed to be more than aware of the danger she would be placed in and the condition that would be present in her body. Therefore, for some reason, the jewel has bound both Hiei and myself to Kagome as protectors for both her and the jewel."

The King of Reikai had settled as soon as he heard his son talking once more and now sat silent, thinking. So much had happened in the short amount of time that Kagome had returned to her era and he was sure that the poor girl might have been overwhelmed to the point of a breakdown by now. He voiced his concerns to Koenma and was surprised when his son smiled at him before answering.

"There is no need to worry about it Father. Kagome is a very strong woman and the two of get along quite well. While I am not entirely certain what thoughts Hiei has toward the entire situation, I can assure you that I am fine with it. She is a special woman indeed and I am more than willing to be the rock she needs to come to terms with everything. In fact, I was supposed to be meeting her this evening…" He trailed of then, not sure really what his father thought of the idea of him getting close to Kagome in any way.

As if reading his son's thoughts, Enma smiled widely "Shouldn't you be going then? If you would have told me you were to meet her, I would have waited for this conversation. After hearing what all the girl has gone through, I am sure she is feeling quite rejected right now by your absence."

Now it was Koenma's turn to smile. "I sent Botan to talk to her when you arrived. I am well aware of how deep her pain goes and I can promise you that I will do everything I can to keep her from reaching such despair again. Even though we are already bound to one another for eternity, I intend to pursue her on a more intimate level if she will have me. I have never met a woman like her before."

Hearing his son talk so honestly about the young miko was refreshing to the king. He knew all too well that Koenma hadn't the time in the past, nor the interest really, to go out on "dates" and knew how difficult it would be for his son to find a woman at all, given the fact that he is indeed a god. Now, looking at Koenma, he realized that he was sincere in his affection for Kagome and knew that he would protect her with everything he was. It seemed the Fates favored Koenma in this situation, for he had been sure before that his son would live the length of his long life without ever knowing the love of a woman.

The sudden motion of the great king rising stirred Koenma from his thoughts and he stood as well. "Koenma," King Enma started, "you are late for your date. I know that you will take care of her well and I have a feeling that she will do the same for you. Have a good time."

With another exchange of smiles and Koenma receiving an affectionate pat on the back, Enma was gone leaving the prince to get ready to meet Kagome. He was aware that he had told her a portal to the Reikai would be opened for her entry, but after having to keep her waiting, he decided something more personal, and traditional in the ways of humans, was in order.

That thought in mind, Koenma made his way to his dwelling to change clothes and prepare for a night in the Ningenkai. Once he had donned his headband and traded in his Reikai garb for a black, button down shirt and khaki's, he opened a portal to a limousine company he owned and settled himself inside the car awaiting him.

In moments, he was standing at the front door of Kagome's home and couldn't have been more nervous. Even though he was centuries old he had never been on a date with a girl and certainly never planned to have to make her wait for him to show up, such as he had with Kagome. He could only hope she could forgive him.

Straightening his shoulders and taking a deep breath, he knocked holding a dozen roses in his hand. As her soft footsteps reached the door, his mind slowed down and when said door opened, it came to a grinding halt even as his heart rate increased.

Kagome stood in front of him wearing a simple black dress that clung to her in all the right places; her hair was left loose to hang in waves that framed her face. All in all, she was the most beautiful site he had ever seen. Noticing the surprised look that was painted on her face he broke from his stupor and smiled, holding out the flowers for her.

She looked at him, then at the flowers and back at him once more before tentatively reaching out to take them. Inside, her mind reeled and her legs suddenly felt like warm Jell-O. Sure she had thought him handsome in the Reikai, but now he was a sight to behold. The black of his shirt set off his warm honeyed eyes making them sparkle and she felt her breath hitch. Confusion, and pleasure, at seeing him standing at her front door like a normal guy taking her out reigned in her mind.

"Koenma? What are you doing here? I thought you were going to open a portal to Reikai for me?" Seeing his happy expression fall slightly, she continued "Not that I am not pleased to see you here, I assure you I am, I am most confused. I guess I never expected to see you standing on my door step like things between us were normal, is all." She finished quietly, letting her gaze drop to the floor and her bare feet.

He couldn't help but smile at her antics and felt his heart warm upon hearing she was pleased to see him here. "Honestly Kagome, I wasn't sure it would be okay for me to come here. I truly am sorry for keeping you waiting and I wanted to prove to you that I was indeed serious about us getting together this evening."

Hearing his heartfelt words, Kagome's head snapped up and she smiled brightly. Slipping on her shoes she stepped across the threshold of her home and locked the door. Turning to Koenma once more, she said "I am very happy you came Koenma."

Smiling at her gently, he answered "I am happy I came here as well." Holding out his arm for her to take, he said "Shall we?" No sooner had she placed her small hand around his arm and they were down the stairs and seated inside the limo, neither aware that a stewing Fire Apparition had been witness to it all.


	9. Chapter 9

They sat on a thick blue blanket at least twenty miles outside of Tokyo, staring up at a velvet sky littered with stars. The site was absolutely beautiful and brought a strange sense of nostalgia to Kagome. Tearing her eyes from the myriad of stars, she carefully studied her surroundings and realized they were sitting in an area that she and her friends had once camped at in the Sengoku Jidai.

Sighing happily, Kagome fell back onto the plush blanket and watched the stars wistfully, her thoughts taking a turn around the family she had left behind in an era not her own. While there was still the possibility that she could return to the past, she was hesitant to do so aside from the reason that she no longer had a purpose there.

She was wary of Inuyasha.

_Some things are better left in the past I think. I have a long time on this Earth now and I might as well make the best of it._ That thought in mind made her unconsciously turn her stormy gaze upon the young ruler who still sat next to her. The two had yet to speak since arriving in the wilderness, but the silence was comfortable and gave her time to sort out her thoughts as well as quietly ogle the handsome prince at her side.

From all the stories, fantasies and faerie tales she had heard growing up of the Gods, Kagome had figured them to be strict and serious and not necessarily fond of mingling with the human race. Sure, they would toy with the less-superior beings at times to stir things up and relieve their own boredom it would seem, but she had never thought that a god and a human could have a nice, civil conversation.

Studying the profile of Koenma, Kagome let her thoughts drift to the situation at hand. Although the Junior Ruler of Reikai was more than attentive to her and unimaginably sweet, she still felt slightly hurt over Hiei's smooth dismissal of her and their connection. Not that she blamed him because that would be wrong and pointless; she simply wished he could have at least responded better to her. She knew it would take time for the gravity of the situation to completely sink in but Koenma didn't seem to have much of a problem adjusting and with his help, she was sure she would come out fine as well. How would Hiei ever be able to deal with something of this magnitude without so much as speaking with her?

The young prince was lost in thought as well. He had caught himself staring at the young miko on more than one occasion since picking her up and knew that she noticed a few times when her cheeks would flush a pretty pink that brought out the blue of her eyes. _She has seen and been through so much and is still so very innocent. She never deserved what happened to her and even if Hiei doesn't want anything to do with her, I will by no means leave her side._

He had found himself with more than enough time to think over things in the week that had passed since he had met Kagome and he found that his thoughts most often turned towards her. The demi-god was well aware that her heart had been abused badly and she probably wouldn't be ready for the kind of relationship he realized he wanted with her. She occupied his days and haunted his nights and it had taken all his will to control his excitement about being able to see her out of Reikai.

The thoughts that swirled tumultuously in his mind, although mostly featured Kagome, had also taken a few turns around Hiei. He had known the hybrid for many years and was well aware that it would take time for him to be able to accept the way things had turned out. At times, he had also caught himself wishing that Hiei had been replaced by Kurama, simply for the fact that the fox had never been quite so adamant about killing him as the fire demon was. That, and he had seen the sadness in the miko's eyes the day he had stormed out and spat his harsh sounding words; he knew Kurama wouldn't have ever spoken to her in such a way.

That was also part of the reason he had decided to take Kagome out of the city. She needed to be shown that regardless of the apparition's stand on things, he would treat her as she deserved to be treated. Momentarily, he had been near a state of panic wondering if he had been making a mistake by doing something so personal. However, upon seeing her smile and hearing from her own lips that she was happy to see him, he relaxed.

Koenma took a sidelong glance at Kagome and the picture she portrayed made her look even more beautiful than he had seen her yet. The moonlight washed over her features, painting the alabaster flesh in a silvery glow as moonbeams danced in her eyes. Long raven locks fanned around her face and tenderly caressed her neck and cheeks and a small smile graced her perfect lips. Apparently, his decision to bring her somewhere that might symbolize home for her was a good one.

As he blatantly studied the beautiful young woman, he made note that the scars he was sure he had seen before were no longer present. He assumed it was some sort of concealment spell but he knew they were there and he wanted desperately to know what had happened to her. "Kagome…can I ask you something?"

Her silent appraisal of the stars was broken by Koenma's soft words and her focus instantly snapped to him as she raised herself up on her elbows to look at him. "Sure. I can't promise I can answer it but ask away."

Taking a deep breath, he turned to look at her and spoke gently. "That day I contacted you to see you…" He trailed off then, not really sure how to phrase the question without offending her or causing her to close up on him.

Kagome could tell that what he wanted to say was important and she had a good idea of what it was now that he had started talking. "You want to know about my scars? Why you don't see them now?"

He only nodded before casting his head down and looking at his lap. "If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to."

A warm hand on his cheek startled him into looking up and getting lost in endless pools of glittering cerulean. A small smile played across her soft, lush lips and he nearly forgot that he was waiting for an answer to a question. "It's okay Koenma." She closed her eyes briefly and the shimmer of magic tickled across his skin for a moment before he looked towards her shoulder and saw a soft blue glow fading and leaving behind the scars.

Only the barest traces of the healed wounds were visible on her shoulders under the heavy curtain of her inky hair and his fingers twitched, wanting to sweep aside those silky locks and see for himself how bad the damage was. Her eyes still held his and he was content for the time being to stay where he was. A soft sigh left her lips and brushed across his, leaving his skin tingling.

"Do you want to see?" She spoke low, her voice a gentle whisper that was nearly lost on the breeze. He could tell by the tense muscles along her neck and shoulders that she was embarrassed by her scars and he wanted nothing more than to assure her that she had no reason to feel that way. He could only nod his head in answer to her question and watched as she slowly turned her back towards him and lifted her heavy tresses over her shoulder.

Small hands reached back and tugged at the zipper that held her dress together along her spine and soon pulled it down far enough for the material to separate and her scars to be bared. Kagome shuddered lightly as the breeze caressed her flesh and she felt her cheeks heat up with a blush of embarrassment. She hated how marred her skin had become; it made her feel even uglier than Inuyasha's constant comparisons to Kikyou had.

She was startled out of her self-loathing by the soft touch of warm lips along one of the many welts that lined her back and a soft gasp escaped her lips. "Wh-what are you doing?"

He ignored her question and grazed his lips along another line that was exceedingly long and jagged; a gash from a clawed hand, he was sure. "Please don't be ashamed Kagome. These scars are just proof that you survived something undoubtedly horrible. Who did this to you?" He whispered against her neck as his fingers lovingly caressed scar after long, angry scar.

Kagome's body trembled against his touch as he spoke softly to her and gently stroked her damaged flesh. She had never looked at her scars as medals of honor and courage for withstanding and surviving the torture she had; for so very long they were only testimony to the fact that she was too weak to fight her captor and another thing that made her less than worthy of anyone.

He paused in his perusal of her flesh long enough to question her, "Kagome? You don't have to tell me."

She breathed air deep into her lungs and sighed heavily before speaking, her voice coming out a harsh whisper as she fought with the emotions that tied in with her horrible memories. "A few years back, I had just returned to the Sengoku Jidai and was expecting Inuyasha to be waiting for me as he usually was. After I had climbed out of the well, I was surrounded by miasma and although my powers purified the majority of it, there was so much that it caused me to lose consciousness.

When I woke up, I was changed up in a dungeon somewhere. Just as I had fully regained awareness, I heard a voice talking to me. When I looked up, it was…Naraku. I had gotten in the habit of leaving the jewel shards with Miroku when I went home when I realized there were still demons alive in my era. I refused to put my family at risk by having them with me. Naraku kidnapped me, thinking I still carried nearly half the jewel."

Kagome paused for a moment, her breathing harsh and her eyes clenched shut tightly, fighting back the torrent of tears that stirred behind her eyes. With another shuddering breath, she spoke again. "I don't remember a lot of what happened. I know that I was kept captive for nearly two weeks, each day filled with whippings and beatings. When he was feeling particularly malicious, he would forego his 'toys' and just use his claws. The bastard even made sure to infuse his miasma into every single wound so my miko powers couldn't heal them. He told me he wanted me to have plenty of reminders of my time spent with him.

After a particularly vicious session with him, I lost consciousness to blood loss and trauma. When I awoke, I was back in Kaede's village. Apparently, he had one of his lackeys drop me off near the village. Kaede told me I had been asleep for well over a week, I was nearly dead when Sango and Miroku found me."

Silent, angry tears streamed down her face and her voice took on the timber of deep, heart-wrenching pain. "I found out later that Inuyasha wasn't there to greet me because he was with Kikyou. I suffered through all of that because he was off playing house with a corpse. You know what the first thing he said to me was? He told me I needed to "hurry my weak ass up and heal" so we could finish looking for shards."


	10. Chapter 10

A homicidal and anguished roar shattered the only semblance of peace that could be found in the Makai – in the late hours of the evening – and masses of birds and nocturnal creatures squawked and trilled and hissed at the abrupt termination of their tranquility.

Hiei paid them no mind. No, none at _all._

In fact, his mind was far, _far_ away from the rest of his being and even as his claws slashed and tore at mindless, low-level youkai that crossed his path he could feel no relief in the blood bath.

The hybrid had followed his boss and the newest complication – though she wasn't wholly unpleasant…_Stop. That._ – in his life for the entirety of their 'date'. It had started off all well and good – if a bit boring – and he had been relatively pleased with the calm serenity of the night. As they left the great city of Tokyo, his eyes had narrowed suspiciously and he followed them – even more closely, though he didn't know why – all the way to the countryside.

Watching them sitting so companionably, so _comfortably_ caused an abnormal pinch at his heart. Kagome and Koenma were just so…so _perfect_ together and he should have been happy. The woman becoming attached to the demi-god would take her off his hands for the most part, the exception being the points in time where it was inevitable that they come in contact.

Why then was he not as relieved as he should have been? Why was that strange twist in his heart back again?

It was definitely something to have looked at.

In all honesty, he had thought the entire evening had become rather dull, though he could appreciate the more preserved nature outside of the city. Hiei had found a rather nice tree that was far out of sight and had been perched upon a high branch rather comfortably. The soft sounds of the two breathing touched his ears and he knew they were okay.

And then Koenma spoke…sort of.

And Kagome answered…though he was confused by her response.

Scars? She had scars? Where? He couldn't recall seeing any which could only mean she had been hiding them with a concealing spell. The apparition's body unfolded from its languid position and every raw nerve, every tensed sense was _waiting_ because these so-called-scars had to have been horrible to require a concealment spell.

Either that or Kagome was far more vain than he had thought.

That idea was promptly eradicated by the soft words of the miko, asking if he wanted to see and his attention perked further, crimson eyes glowing in the dark as they focused on the soft silhouette of Kagome. And then she was unzipping her dress and his eyes widened as moon beams danced across scar after silver, shining scar. They were innumerable, so many in fact that he couldn't quite tell where one ended and another began and his head swam with possibilities.

As he watched Koenma tenderly caress the damaged skin with his lips, his emotions conflicted harshly in his chest. One side of him wanted to praise the prince for his proving that her scars were only proof of her strength; the other side wanted to tear him away from her and replace Koenma's lips on her skin with his own.

Koenma was asking who had hurt her so and his internal rant ended. Regardless of the new emotions that flooded his senses, he had to _focus_ because this was something important. Because his claws twitched and his hand tightened on the hilt of his katana and he wanted to draw blood.

Her words were soft, so very soft that they floated easily on the wings of the breeze to settle in his ears. And as she spoke, the Jagan had awakened and pulled for her and he didn't have the desire to fight it. The sentient eye _knew_ something and he was too far gone in everything at the time to even bother arguing.

And as he was plunged head first into her mind, the memories that hadn't surfaced in her consciousness swam around him and suddenly, he wished he _had_ fought the damned implant's urge.

He had been pulled into her memories and not just as a bystander. He _became _Kagome and he could smell the dank, musty scent of the dungeon, could _feel_ the harsh, cold metal biting into the tender flesh of her arms. Then there were voices and images of youkai he had never seen and as one with long, inky hair and eyes nearly as red as his own snapped into focus, a name drifted through his lips in terrified certainty.

_Naraku._

Then there was pain; hot, white, _blinding_ pain that licked across the flesh of his back in heart-filled snaps of a whip and pleasure-born slashes of claws and he could feel the warmth of his blood – of _her_ blood – trickling down the backs of his legs. He felt the ruptured flesh of his back and shoulders and legs _burn_ and melt as poisonous miasma filled every crevice.

Unlike Kagome, Hiei was awake and aware of everything that she had been forced to endure throughout her captivity and as he watched through her eyes, he felt sick. Although she had been unconscious, her body still felt; and because her body felt, so did he.

And oh how he wished he hadn't.

On one particularly brutal night, the vile excuse for a hanyou had gotten bored with merely beating and scarring the girl and after a thorough round of torture, she had slipped into unconsciousness. It soon became clear to Hiei that Naraku was one sick and twisted fuck.

And – for the first time in his life – he thanked every Kami he could think of that Kagome had remained in her blissful state of unawareness…because he could _feel_ the harsh bite of claws into the tender flesh of his hips and the heat of a body on top of him. Hiei was forced to endure what her body had been through…had been forced to feel that vile filth push himself into the soft, untouched folds of Kagome.

Another furious roar, demanding blood, sounded throughout the Makai and he felt positively _murderous_ and he wanted nothing more than to get his hands on that damnable Hell's Spawn and _show_ him what pain was like. The part of Hiei that was still a tiny, fearful child whimpered piteously in the depths of his mind when he saw how Kagome had been left.

She had been dropped, broken and bleeding and barely even _living_ outside of a village and she had lain there for far too long before anyone even knew of her presence. And when he had heard Kagome telling Koenma exactly _why_ she had been abducted in the first place, a different hanyou took the top spot on his list of people to slay viciously.

How could she have survived? Not only because of her physical injuries but how had she been strong enough to even have the will to awaken and see a new day? How was she able to still fight beside the mutt who had been responsible for the entire ordeal?

Hiei didn't know and he was almost scared to find out because that kind of determination – that kind of _loyalty_ – sang to him and forced him to realize that she was so much _more_ than he ever could have imagined. He felt jittery and disjointed suddenly, as if he had been stripped of his skin and plunged back inside, only to find it didn't fit quite the way it used to.

He felt hollow and numb and _dead_ inside and he knew – he _knew_ – without a shadow of a doubt that those feelings were some strange and unsettling cross-breeding of both his and Kagome's emotions. She had been used and broken and _betrayed_ and she was so incredibly lonely despite the friends she had and her heart _hurt_ so poignantly that he couldn't ignore how much the two had in common.

Or how badly he wanted to discover if there was even more that they shared.

And he wanted to help her, to hold her and whisper to her when she had nightmares. He wanted to replace every bad memory she had of the male gender with nothing but pleasant moments with him. Mentally, he slapped himself. It. Couldn't. Happen.

It just couldn't.

She needed – _deserved_ – someone tender and gentle and loving.

She needed Koenma.

_Not_ a quick-to-anger, domineering, vicious, murdering fire apparition.

Then there was something itching and tickling at his mind and he steadfastly refused to acknowledge it. Well, he _attempted_ to push it aside but the Jagan had different plans and Hiei found himself wrapped up in the miko's mind while she was falling asleep. He had seen the kiss Kagome and Koenma had shared and he really had no desire to see what sort of dreams her mind could conjure up.

But the eye was impatient and _insistent_ and he had no choice but follow its directions. He could hear her voice in his mind and he became vaguely aware that she was talking to herself while drifting off to sleep and surprisingly, the Junior Ruler's name wasn't the one that caressed her lips.

"Hiei", he heard her whisper softly, her voice heavy and thick with the fingers of sleep, "Why…why can't you chase the demons away? Just once…just once…I want to dream…I want to pretend I can be happy."

He couldn't help the small tug at the corners of his lips. She had kissed Koenma but was now wanting him...wanted him to scare away the demons that haunted her soul and cast shadows over the brilliance of her eyes. And he felt a twist in his heart because he wanted to be that person for her…he wanted to make sure no demons ever hurt her again.

Hiei wanted to make sure _no one_ ever hurt her again.

How he had come to this, he wondered. Why was she able to make him _feel_ so easily without even trying and why did he enjoy it even when he wasn't sure he wanted to? The feelings of comfort, love, _home_ had escaped him for so long and now that there was an opportunity to hold such things in the palm of his hand, he was wary to accept it. Love is what caused Kagome to become so hurt in the first place…

…but her love was one-sided. He knew he didn't love her – _not yet_, his mind supplied – and didn't think she really loved him either but he knew she could. He had witnessed her amazing ability to love people but the thought of having her love anyone else sent a strange jolt down his spine. Did he want to love her? He didn't know but he was beginning to think he did, Kami help him. Did he want her to love him?

_Yes._

Huh. When did that happen? When did the miko take up a place in his heart and where the hell was he? Why did he want to see that look of adoration that glinted in her eyes when she spoke of her fox kit directed at him instead? Too many questions and not nearly enough answers but his body, his Jagan, his dragon all wanted to be near her.

Deciding to save the innumerable questions for some other time, he flitted his way through the trees and plains of the Makai and soon crossed the barrier. Taking to the tree and roof tops, Hiei made short work of the distance between him and the miko and was soon perched in the tree outside her window.

The window was open as if in silent invitation and he needed no other inspiration. Quietly, he crept through the window to land softly on the floor and inched his way towards the bed. Once there, he looked down at the young miko lying on her side and his eyes softened. She looked so fragile, so innocent…so _perfect_ and he had a brief bout of insanity in thinking that maybe she wouldn't mind terribly if he just stole her away.

A soft sigh from the beautiful creature before him drew his attention to her lips, lush and soft and parted with her gentle breathing. He found himself reaching towards her and lifting an inky strand of hair from her cheek and tucking it behind her ear. A gentle smile touched her lips and he felt his heart twitch. Could she really love him? Could he love her?

Kagome shifted her weight and rolled onto her back and he froze when her eyelids fluttered open slightly. Half-lidded, soulful cerulean orbs gazed at him and he stood stock still, unsure of her reaction. His crimson eyes widened when she smiled gently at him and whispered, "You came. I was beginning to think you hated me, not that I would blame you."

The fire apparition could only shake his head while replying, "I don't hate you. I just don't like having my life taken out of my hands."

Something flashed across her eyes then and flared bright in his mind. She had her life taken out of her hands at fifteen and had yet to have it given back. Her entire existence was being controlled by someone, some_thing_ that wasn't her and he suddenly felt very petty. He had been so caught up in his rage over being dragged into the situation that he had missed the fact that she was even more of a toy for the fates then he was.

Kagome closed her eyes and smiled softly. She knew where he was coming from and she hated that it was her who had brought something of this magnitude on his head. At least he was here now and hadn't left yet and didn't _hate_ her like she was sure he did.

Her family was still away and she would be alone in the house for at least another week and being solitary had never really suited her. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she opened her eyes slightly and patted the spot next to her on the bed. "You're welcome to stay."

Then she turned over to face the wall and Hiei was left staring at the back of her raven head completely shocked. Hadn't he just been thinking how badly he wanted to hold her and keep her nightmares at bay – even if only for a night? Without further hesitation, he pulled his cloak from his body and draped it across the chair at her desk and bent to remove his boots. His heavy belts and katana were next and soon he was sliding between the cool sheets of her bed.

Kagome flipped over to face him quickly and before he could question her, she had laid her head on his chest and wrapped an arm across his waist. She tightened her grip on him in a half-hug and whispered against his chest, her breath on his naked flesh sending shivers down his spine. "Good night Hiei."

And he slept.


	11. Chapter 11

Kagome had awoken the next morning alone and had briefly wondered if her tortured mind had conjured up Hiei's image in her desire to just feel safe from her nightmares for a night. However, when she had fully come into awareness and cleared the fog of sleep from her mind, she realized she could still feel residual traces of his youki in her room and tingling in her soul. She had gotten up from bed and started her day with a smile, feeling better than she had in far too long. Her soul felt settled and calm in her body for the first time in ages and the miko knew that she only had a god and a demon to thank for it.

Her family had long since returned from America where her grandfather was undergoing a kidney transplant. Now that he was home and well again, the two had shared quite a few laughs over the ordeal, seeing as how jii-chan had always been making up outlandish illnesses for her to explain her absences in school.

After things had settled down in the house and everyone was back on track and falling into their normal routines, Kagome had broached a rather new subject with her mother. For a couple of weeks now, the young miko had been feeling the need to get away. Not in a vacation or hiatus sense but rather as a permanent fixture. She wanted to find a place of her own and get a job. It was a well-known fact in the Higurashi household that Kagome was as far from 'normal' as she could get but she was adamant to at least try and hold some semblance of a regular life.

Although she was more than sure that what she was would have an effect on a job, she at least wanted to try to have her own place. At 24 years old, it was high time that she moved away from home. There was no reason why her mother should still be supporting her. Of course, her mother had been concerned at first, wondering how Kagome could even make it to start off with. The miko had simply smiled gently at the family matriarch and reminded her of her savings account, in which the miko had deposited every amount she had ever received from the bits at birthdays to her graduation money. After nearly a decade of saving, she had more than enough cash saved up that she was certain she could live comfortably until she found work.

Mama had insisted they call the bank and check to be sure and only after being reassured by the teller of the sum in the account had she agreed to Kagome moving out on her own. Of course, she had also insisted that she be allowed to help her daughter furnish said abode and Kagome was helpless to refuse when her mother leveled her a look that clearly stated she was getting her way.

It had only been a week since the miko and her mother had come to agree on the young woman moving out and she had contacted Koenma just two days ago with a request for a little of his time. She wanted to assure that no rules or red tape would be crossed or tripped over should she move. It had become rather clear to her that she was being monitored at times by various officials in Reikai for her safety and thought it would simply be easier to clear a possible residence with the spirit realm ahead of time. The prince had told her he would contact her when he had enough free time to be able to talk and she had agreed with a smile.

The two had conversed quite a few times in the month that had passed since their date and although their talks were never long or in person, she had enjoyed them immensely. By just the action of making time to contact her and check in on her when he was busy enough with his normal workload only made her smile and feel content. There had even been more than a handful of occasions where Kagome had felt Hiei's aura in the area – though he hadn't shown his face – and the young priestess felt safe and looked after.

Now as she sat outside underneath the boughs of the Goshinboku meditating, she was cross. It was an unbearably hot and humid day and here she was, sitting outside in her miko's robes and sweating up a storm. Beads of salty liquid rolled down her neck to disappear under the collar of her haori and she groaned miserably before letting her eyes snap open.

"It's just pointless! It is far too uncomfortable and I am far too stressed out to meditate." She huffed irritably and her aura lashed out in her aggravation as she lifted herself from the ground and stomped over to the practice range that had been set up for her archery.

After firing an entire quiver full of arrows, Kagome was still upset and she had started on a second quiver. With every shot fired, a little more power flowed through each arrowhead and soon she was exploding the targets. Truthfully, she wasn't sure why she was so irate. All she knew was that she was pissed off and there were targets to fire at. Finally, she had gone through four sets of arrows and her irritation had dwindled. Of course, she no longer had any targets to shoot at and her arm felt suspiciously like rubber but that didn't matter. She had let her anger flow and now she was much calmer.

With a sigh, she dropped to the ground, flopped to her back and shut her eyes. The hotter part of the day had finally waned and the cool evening breeze was whispering through the trees and gently caressing her skin. A mewl of contentment escaped her throat as her soft lips curved into a lazy smile. She still felt energized from being in sync with her newest 'protectors' and she had just exerted an amount of physical energy that she hadn't since the Feudal Era. Now, her body was flowing with life and rejuvenation even as her powers worked to calm her muscles and replenish her strength.

Really, she thought she could simply sleep where she lay but the feeling of time and space being ripped open kept her awake and soon a gentle voice was in her ears.

"Hello again Kagome. I must say, it is a good thing you have a protection spell around your shrine. If you didn't I am sure there would be some crispy fried demons around here." Botan giggled as she sat down on the soft grass next to the quiet miko. Said priestess cracked open one blue-grey orb, gave the Ferry Girl a tilted smile and closed her eyes again.

Another light giggle escaped the deity's throat before she settled and studied Kagome. The young woman was amazingly beautiful but not through just physical attraction. The beauty of her very soul seemed to ooze from her pours and glow on her pale skin. She was captivating just to look at even as she was now; dirty and sweaty with rumpled clothing and ruffled hair. There was just something about the young female that grabbed people's attention and forced them to take notice of her.

Koenma had most certainly taken notice.

Botan stifled a giggle at that thought. Once upon a time there had been the chance that such a notion would incite jealousy within the young deity however she had long gotten over the crush she had on the young ruler and now only wanted the best for him. She still was unsure of the relationship between Kagome and Koenma; in fact, she didn't even know how they had met. Especially considering how busy and anti-social –though neither by choice – Koenma was added to the fact that the people he usually visited were deceased.

Not that it really mattered. She was sure she would learn it all sooner or later. All she really hoped was that Kagome could – and would – return the feelings she had already seen swimming in her boss' eyes.

"So Botan, what brings you to my neck of the woods this time?" Kagome spoke softly, her eyes still closed and her body in the same position it had been in, startling the grim reaper from her thoughts.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, her pink eyes wide with embarrassment over her forgetfulness, "I'm here to bring you to Spirit World. Koenma has time to speak with you today and wants you there within the hour."

The reaction from the miko was instantaneous and quite comical. She jumped up from her place on the ground in one hurried and surprisingly graceful movement, causing her hair to fly around her. Looking down at the still reclined Botan with wide, stormy eyes she ranted, "Seriously? Oh Kami I have to take a shower! There is no way in any level of hell I am going to Spirit World looking like this."

Before the Ferry girl had a chance to respond, Kagome was already making the trek to her house in long, pointed strides. She turned her head over her shoulder and threw back a few words, "Feel free to come inside and wait. I'll put some tea on before I get cleaned up."

Botan nodded in acquiescence and followed after the frantic woman, grinning like a cat at Kagome's antics. Once inside, she maneuvered her way to the kitchen and found a kettle already on the stove and mugs and tea placed on the counter. After the water had boiled and her cup of tea had steeped, she heard water click off from upstairs and soon Kagome entered the kitchen in a robe with a towel in her hands, drying her hair as she walked.

"I see you made yourself at home." Kagome said with a grin as she brought her own cup of steaming tea to the table and sat down, placing the towel around her neck. Flipping her hair over her shoulders, she took a sip of her tea and studied Botan. She just knew the woman wanted to ask her something and she was trying to get herself prepared for it.

The young deity smiled at Kagome and nodded her head, watching as the miko settled down in front of her. As she took another sip from the mug in her hands, she realized that the female in front of her was watching her intently and she squirmed in her seat. Somehow, she knew Kagome knew that something was on her mind and suddenly felt like a lab rat under a microscope.

Kagome's observant eyes caught the nervous shifting of weight from the woman across from her and arched an eyebrow, "Out with it Botan. I know you want to ask me something."

Pink eyes widened in panic at the sudden accusation, though she had almost been expecting it. She supposed the surprise came from the fact that Kagome just looked so sweet and she was so petite that Botan really hadn't expected her to sound so stern. "Well," she started awkwardly, really wondering if she should have chosen to try and act more normal, "I was just kind of wondering…how you met Koenma?"

The miko watched her for a long moment, blue eyes giving nothing away as she sipped at her tea. Finally, she put the cup back onto the table and laced her fingers together across the tabletop.

"I fell into his office." Came her simple reply and she forced back a smirk when Botan's eyes widened to comical proportions.

"You…what? You fell into his office?" She questioned and at Kagome's nod, her jaw dropped before she burst into giggles. "How did you fall into his office?"

Shadows crossed the young face of the miko and Botan sobered, straightening in her chair. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

Shaking her head, Kagome leaned back into her chair and asked, "Have you heard of the Shikon no Tama?"

Botan thought for a moment. It sounded familiar for some reason and after a few seconds of tapping her index finger against her chin in thought, her eyes cleared and she looked at Kagome with knowledge flashing in her eyes. "Yes! I have! I remember reading about it in one of the Legendary Artifacts books that Spirit World keeps around. It was said to have been destroyed five hundred years ago."

Kagome sighed. Damn. Already the information the woman had was wrong and she gathered up her nerve to explain things as best she could. While she was getting over Inuyasha – and she was getting over him slowly – she was still rather nervous about talking about him. He had hurt her more in that one day than he ever had and already at the mental mentioning of his name, she felt tears prick the backs of her eyes.

"No," she whispered, "it wasn't destroyed. The day of my fifteenth birthday, my cat went missing and I was enlisted by my little brother to help find him before I left for school. I ended up in the well house here on the property. After I'd found the cat, I was getting ready to leave when I felt arms grab me and pull me backwards into the well. I ended up five centuries passed…I went through time into the Sengoku Jidai.

Shortly thereafter, I released an inu hanyou from a binding spell, learned that I was a miko and found out that I had been born with the jewel inside my body when Mistress Centipede ripped it from my side."

Botan blinked. "Really? I was under the impression it had been burned with the body of the last priestess to hold it."

The miko could only sigh as she untied the knot in the sash that held her robe together. Yes, she only had undergarments on underneath the robe but Botan was a female and it would just be easier to show her the proof of the scar. After the knot was free, Kagome shifted the left side of the robe open and ran her fingers over the starburst pattern in her skin.

"Here," she said softly, her fingers absently tracing the smooth skin of the scar, "is where it was. It remained dormant in my body for nearly two decades. After it was removed, it was shattered. I spent years traveling with the hanyou I had awoken from his spelled slumber and a group of friends to recover the shards and rid the world of a great evil. The day all our hard work came to fruition, my life was changed."

From the minute Botan was exposed to the scar on the miko's pale flesh, she was wound up in the story. It amazed her that this young woman had been through so much and was still sane. Her eyes snapped from the odd shaped scar to Kagome's face at her last sentence. She must have seen the unasked question in Botan's eyes for soon, she spoke again.

"The jewel returned to my body in a sense and I was taken away from the past. I ended up in Koenma's office. I don't know if the well works anymore. A part of the jewel had always been required to travel through time for me so I assume that since it has rejoined with my body, I could still return." As the young miko talked, Botan watched the blue fade from her eyes, leaving nothing but grey in its place. Obviously, a lot more had happened than what she was being told. Something – or some_one_ - had hurt her badly.

"I see." Botan whispered, unable to say anything more in light of all she'd heard and – more importantly – didn't hear. As if her voice alone was a catalyst, the deity watched in fascination as Kagome's head snapped up to look at her, the shadows falling away from her face and the blue suffusing back into her eyes.

"I apologize. I didn't mean to get caught up in memories again, forgive me. I suppose I had better go and get some clothes on ne? Wouldn't do for me to head into Reikai in nothing but a robe." With a grin and a wink, the miko was headed for the stairs again.

Twenty minutes later found Kagome walking back into the kitchen once more, only looking hardly the way Botan had seen her. In fact, she looked almost identical to the legendary Midoriko save for their eye color and the obvious difference of hakama.

Kagome's were green.

It was a rather startling thing to see her dressed in such a way. The armor made all the difference and Botan felt as if she herself had traveled back in time. Kagome smiled brightly at her and soon the two were on their way to Reikai.

Hiei was a lot of things and had always considered himself to possess a rather generous sense of patience; he _was_ forced to deal with his comrades after all; today however seemed to be the day where his patience would be pressed to the point of breaking.

The day had started out well enough amazingly. He had awoken in the early hours of the morning staring down on the tiny miko who had occupied far too much of his brain processes as of late. For some reason, it had been surprising to him to notice how truly beautiful she was. Not that he was sight impaired or anything but more to the point of the fact he hadn't really cared what she looked like. His mind has easily taken in how pretty she was but he had refused to let himself acknowledge it because of the situation.

Waking up next her had quite the effect on him. It had also escaped his notice how tense she was when awake. When she was sleeping she looked peaceful, serene…happy. That was the biggest difference; when she was conscious she looked forlorn and melancholy despite her attempts at acting otherwise. Her eyes gave her away.

He had left after watching her sleep for a few moments and had been on his way to Genkai's to check up on Yukina when he received a silent message from Kurama, stating Koenma had called a meeting.

He despised meetings.

In fact, by the time the meeting was well under way he was mad beyond belief. A group of demons had shown up in the Prince's office and he and his companions had basically been ignored since then. He knew who the youkai were by name and reputation but their reason for being present was confusing. Nothing had been said as to why they were in the office or what business they had with Koenma. Of course, Kurama was being his usual kitsune self and was intrigued that such powerful demons had just convened on their meeting with their boss.

Soon everyone was shaken from their thoughts and conversations by a light tearing sound and soon a portal was opening right into the office. They all watched intently as Botan stepped through and another person followed. Everyone situated within the small room knew who she was by scent alone and they were more than surprised at her behavior upon arrival.

Kagome felt youkai auras in the room as soon as the portal had opened but she didn't really care. She was too happy to see Koenma to really be bothered by demons at the time and she didn't have to worry about being hurt or killed in the office of the Prince of Spirit World. So it only made sense that as soon as she saw the young ruler, she gave a happy shout of his name and jumped into his arms, hugging him for all he was worth. She knew Hiei and the other two detectives she'd met were present but at the moment, it felt good to be held by Koenma again.

The embrace soon ended with the demi-god blushing brightly. "Kagome! I have to say I wasn't expecting to get mauled."

"Well it's been awhile since I've seen you." She responded with a bright smile as he took his place behind his desk and she stood in front of it. Apparently the demons in the room, on in particular, didn't take too kindly to being ignored for Kagome soon felt a swelling of youki directly behind her. Her powers rose to the surface of her body in response.

"Miko." It was a statement, nothing more, delivered in the same flat, cold tone as he'd always spoken in.

Kagome spun on her heel, her hands glowing a brilliant pink, and glared at the figure, "Youkai."


	12. Chapter 12

Quiet sniffles reverberated off of wooden walls within a small shrine that housed nothing but a dried up old well. The reason for the sound sat perched precariously over the lip of the structure, her well-toned body slumped in sorrow and loss. Crystalline tears leaked slowly from saddened mahogany eyes that were hidden behind dark brown bangs and she let them fall unchecked to splash against her folded hands.

"I-I miss you…so very, very much. I wish we could've said goodbye at least…but really, I wish you hadn't had to leave at all. With all the things that were constantly happening in our lives, I never really had time to realize how short our time with you could be. I hadn't been prepared to watch you disappear before our eyes with bare seconds to whisper goodbye. That image still haunts me…even though the memories of your smile and your compassion are always present in my heart. I wish I could see you again…sister."

She started slightly as warm, strong arms wrapped around her waist. So caught up in her grief was she, that her husband had been able to sneak up on her.

He hugged her to his chest tightly, his vivid violet eyes bright with unshed tears of his own. "She wouldn't have wanted us to mourn her so Sango. If anything, Kagome-sama would have requested us to have a celebration."

A watery giggle slipped past her lips as she tried in vain to scrub away her tears, "I know Miroku…but I can't help but miss her. She meant so much to me…to everyone. No one has been the same and I know it's been less than a year ago…but I don't think any of us will ever be the same. The way she had to leave was so cruel. She gave us all so much…"

The houshi pulled the taijiya from her sitting position to lean into his chest and he hugged her close, "We can only pray that she lives a happy life…that all she gave up to save our present will ensure her a happy future."

Kagome was pressed against the desk at her back, brilliant pink energy enveloping her hands and rapidly spreading up her arms as her dark sapphire eyes stared intently at the demon before her. Her body was tense and taught, her muscles sliding into perfect form for rapid movement as she eyed the predator that was eyeing her. Deadly, claw-tipped fingers twitched and Kagome's twitched in response, knowing that he was soon to pounce.

In a movement nearly too fast for the eye to see, he'd charged at her, claws flashing as they came to bear only to be repelled by a shimmering pink barrier springing into place. The force and energy of miko power stung and pushed him back, almost causing him to land on the two that had come with him.

"I see you haven't lost your fire miko." He growled, crimson bleeding into his eyes as he watched the young female dispel her barrier.

"I see you haven't lost that stick up your ass youkai." She smirked then, one corner of her soft lips quirking up in a positively wicked way as her cerulean eyes glittered with challenge.

"Impudent bitch!" He snarled, red flushing his eyes even more as his hand moved to the hilt of the blade at his side.

"Arrogant prick!" She retorted without pause, inwardly laughing at the way she could still get under his skin.

A low, dangerous growl rumbled throughout the room as he moved to circle his prey and Kagome moved in tandem, her eyes never leaving his even as he drew his katana from it's sheath with a succinct 'ring'. Her dainty hand slid to the hilt of her own sword at her side, thumbing it lose and drawing it in one smooth movement. She ignored the gasps and whispers of the others in the room and had to concentrate to place a barrier around her soul; the emotions emanating from her two protectors would surely shake her focus.

The energy in the room was nearly overwhelming. Holy, demon and spirit energy snapped and crackled all about the office, brilliant pink clashing heavily with violent green. Kagome watched him closely and as his feet shifted stance, she braced herself for his attack, her right hand gripping the hilt of her blade steadily. Then he was in front of her, his katana coming to bear in a graceful and deadly arc that sent showers of youki around her as her own sword came to block it, the purity of her soul transferring to the blade and nipping at the demon weapon.

His body tilted towards her, the advantage of his height and weight causing her feet to slide across the floor as she held him off. _He's fighting with his left hand…shit! That means I'm still open to attack from his left!_ Almost as if her thoughts had spurred him into motion, she caught sight of glowing green in her peripheral vision and held out her left hand. Another shimmering barrier sprung into place just as the whip cracked against it, hissing angrily before fading away. Once that threat was gone, she focused her attention solely on the blade in her hand and forced a burst of ki into it.

The reaction was awe inspiring to the spectators. Pure, blinding pink energy swelled against the angry aura of the evil sword before it exploded outward, sending the youkai flying to slam into the far wall and slide to the floor, the structure crumbling a bit around him as he moved down. Within the span of a heartbeat, he was up and sheathing his sword, giving a regal toss of his head to straighten his long locks and flip them back over his broad shoulders.

Kagome slid her blade home against her hip and swiped the hem of her sleeve across her brow. Lifting her head, glowing blue locked with molten gold and she smiled widely before sprinting rapidly across the gap that separated the two and jumping against his body. Her small arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders and she buried her face into his neck, sighing in contentment and happiness when she felt his arms circle her waist and bring her close. On her inhale, she breathed in his wonderful scent that she hadn't realized she missed so much and closed her eyes as his tinsel colored locks shadowed her from the world.

"Sesshoumaru…Kami I've missed you!" She cried as she hugged him tighter, not wanting to let go of him again.

A small, barely-there smile tilted his chiseled lips as he leaned away from her, one hand against the small of her back supporting her slight weight against him as the other brushed long strands of midnight away from her face. "It has only been weeks for you Kagome. It has been centuries for me."

In a completely childish gesture – that made the noble youkai's smile widen minutely – she stuck her tongue out at him and mock-glared, "Who cares? Time is just a stupid detail anyway."

"Damnit dog! Who do you think you are? Hogging my woman like that!" A gruff and oh-so-welcome voice cut through the tension in the room, causing a joyous giggle from the tiny miko as she was set down and various growls from the youkai in the room.

She spun around to face the owner of the voice and smiled widely, blue eyes lighting up like stars, "Kouga-kun! It is so good to see you again!" She pounced on him then, tackling him to the floor and hugging him tightly. The ookami laughed happily and returned the embrace as he drew her scent deep within his lungs. _Five hundred years without even her scent was a long time._

A loud growl sounded in the room and Kouga found himself being yanked up from the ground roughly, causing the miko to stumble to her feet. "Now you're hogging her! She was mine before she ever was either of yours! I got to sleep with her every night and now I'm the last to get a hug? What a bunch of bullshit!"

Kagome gasped startled, azure orbs wide and filled with tears. Taking a hesitant step forward, she studied the youkai in front of her and her heart clenched. He had turned out so perfect and her heart cried out that she hadn't been able to watch him grow. Lifting a trembling hand out to him she questioned softly, "Sh-Shippou?"

His entire body froze as Kouga slipped from his grasp. The miko's stormy eyes were focused only on him and he felt paralyzed. It had been so long since he'd seen her last and there had been many a night where he'd cried in fright of forgetting what she looked like. Now seeing her again centuries later made his heart race and his soul soar. She was even more beautiful than he remembered as a child and his eyes filled with tears at reading the pain in her eyes.

Stretching his arms to the sides, he turned in a circle, his long red hair falling to his waist even in a low ponytail and his brilliant green eyes sparkling. "Well? What do you think? If I turned out wrong, you've only got an inu and an ookami to blame."

Before he had a chance to say anything more, she was clinging to him, her strong, delicate arms wrapped tightly around his waist while her face was buried in her chest. Hot, wet tears soaked through his haori and stung his skin, her power affecting even her tears and letting him taste her pain. She felt guilty…so very guilty that she'd left him all alone.

"Shippou…I'm so sorry! My sweet little boy…I'm sorry I left you." Her sobs were muffled slightly against the muscle of his chest but they echoed loudly in the silence of the room. Wrapping his strong arms around her, he sunk to the floor and pulled her into his lap, cradling her against his chest in much the same way she used to hold him.

"Shhh. It's okay momma. Sesshoumaru and Kouga took good care of me. They taught me everything they could! Sesshoumaru even had kitsunes in his employ that helped me! I promised myself that I'd live to see you again and I did! It wasn't your fault you had to go."

Finally her sobs stopped and her body stilled, only an occasional sniffle sounding out in the still quiet room. Kurama, Yusuke and Kuwabara were watching the scene with looks of utter bewilderment on their faces. None knew how or why a human miko was in such good standings with the youkai present…or how she'd been able to actually hug Lord Sesshoumaru and still keep her head. He'd even returned the embrace!

Kurama was positively confused. A human miko had a kitsune son?

Koenma sat behind his desk, watching everything play out with a small smile on his lips. He hadn't been aware she held such a good relationship with the stoic inu but she was happy – he could feel it – and that was all that mattered. When Kagome was truly reunited with the kitsune, he felt tears prick at his own eyes for her.

Hiei…well, Hiei was a very unusual jumble of emotions – it seemed to happen around the miko more frequently than he would have liked – and wasn't sure whether to be happy that Kagome had her adopted son back or run the ookami through with his katana. His ever keen eyes certainly hadn't missed the affection hold the wolf had used with the miko and his nose was particularly offended. In a cohesive reaction, his inner demon wanted to tear the wolf prince limb from limb for even _insinuating_ that Kagome was his.

He settled for growling…viciously.

Especially after she'd been released by the fox only to be captured in another far-too-friendly-in-his-opinion embrace by the damned wolf. He gleaned a small amount of satisfaction when the miko jumped at his growl and tore herself from the ookami's arms to spin around and stare at him, brilliant sapphire eyes wide and sparkling.

Apparently, things snapped back into reality for Kagome because soon she was hugging the fire demon tightly, her arms around his shoulders and her face buried against his neck whispering about her friends like a mantra. He was completely lost for a moment. The warmth of her breath and the butterfly soft touch of her lips against his skin caused his heart rate to speed up and when he breathed in sharply, her enticing aroma swarmed his senses.

A cough from behind her startled her yet again and she jumped away from him as if she'd only just realized exactly _who_ she was clinging to. "Gomen Hiei," she whispered softly, her cheeks blazing pink in embarrassment. Then he felt as if weight had been lifted from his soul and he realized she'd – _finally_ – dropped the barrier that had kept his emotions and voice from her.

Despite how he hadn't minded – rather _liked_, actually – waking with her in his arms, he was still wary of the entire thing. She felt too good in his embrace and molded against his body and that certainly couldn't truly be a good thing for him. He was supposed to be cold and unreachable and yet he was almost…dare he say it?..._happy_ that he could feel her against his soul and in his mind again.

Unknown to the miko, she had just chipped away a rather large chunk of ice from the fire demon's heart.


	13. Chapter 13

"Momma…momma I'm so sorry. We hadn't known how long you were back yet for sure and I wish we would've been able to make this more of a reunion then a request for your help." Shippou whimpered as he rocked the young miko in his arms, her tears once more soaking through to his skin. This time though, this time her tears scalded him with such deep sorrow that he found it hard to breathe.

"Miko, we understand if you are unwilling to take on such a task. You have suffered more than anyone at this demon's hands." Sesshoumaru stated softly, only his eyes showing the concern he felt for the woman sitting in a crumpled heap on the kitsune's lap.

"How? How could this happen? I destroyed him! I know I did!" The young priestess wailed against her son's chest, fresh tears leaking from her eyes as she did so.

"He has a new body momma…" Shippou's strong voice trailed off then, leaving a twisting feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. Something was horribly wrong and she was terrified to find out what it was.

But she had to know.

"Shippou…who? Ongeai…tell me…I have to know now before I face him again." Looking up at her once-little-boy-turned-man with watery blue eyes, she noticed he didn't want to meet her gaze and she suddenly felt as if solid lead had settled inside her body.

"Kagome…are you sure?" Kouga asked hesitantly. He didn't want to do this, didn't want to see her in this kind of pain all over again.

Lord Sesshoumaru let a quiet sigh slip past his chiseled lips before he bent down slightly and lifted the miko up and into his arms, knowing she would most likely lash out once she knew. "The demon now goes by Narasha miko. Apparently, there was only a whisper of his soul left…but my brother was weak and that was all the invitation needed."

Instead of lashing out as he'd thought, Kagome went ridged before her body turned boneless, despair and sorrow and fear like he'd never smelled on her coming from her in waves. He could understand the first two emotions just fine but the strong scent of terror confused him. This tiny woman had stood up to him when he was trying to kill her and had stood up to Naraku more than enough times and had never once reeked of fear as she did now.

The hybrid was growling again, though this time it was a far more dark and macabre sound that thoroughly rattled nearly everyone in the room. The memories of all those two hanyous had done to the woman ran through his mind at terrifying speeds and his hand clenched so tightly on the hilt of his katana that his knuckles had turned white. He was the only one who truly knew what that sick fuck Naraku had done to Kagome. Oh the miko had guessed but she didn't remember and he was thankful for that but even Koenma didn't know and he was sure that her son and youkai acquaintances knew nothing of the incident.

Apparently, his raging emotions had penetrated the haze of anguish the tiny woman was in because she was soon pulling her body free form the Lord's grasp and walking towards him. He ground his teeth together to keep from snapping at the wolf when he reached out as if to steer Kagome away from him. She was the only thing that was keeping him in place, the only buffer to his wayward emotions.

The closer she drew to him, the more serenity flooded his soul until his rage was only simmering below the surface. He was never one to lash out in a fit of emotions and for once he was more than thankful that he was connected with her.

He very well could have ripped apart all three worlds with the wrath that swarmed his body.

Her small, cool hand met the overheated skin of his forearm and his blazing ruby eyes snapped to her stormy blues. He could hear the sharp inhalations from his teammates and their random thoughts that he would tear her to shreds filtered into his mind, almost upsetting him all over again but the insistent pressure against his arm, the look in her eyes and the presence of her body so near to his made him keep his focus only on her.

Soft, pink lips quirked into a sad, knowing smile as she looked at the raging demon before her. Kagome had an inkling that Hiei knew exactly all she had gone through at the hands of Naraku even though the actual memories she was unable to grasp. She knew he had found out…relived her time with the spider hanyou and _knew_ the physicality of what the soreness of her body had told her. A sense of warmth seeped slowly into her soul at the knowledge that he was thirsting to avenge her.

"Hiei…please…you must tell them…" Her azure orbs wandered to her three long-ago companions and he knew that she could never voice what she'd been through to them. She hadn't even told everything to the demi-god because she simply didn't remember and the koorime knew he would have to inform Koenma as well.

He didn't want to do it but it was something that had to be done if she was to be protected. Giving a slight nod to Kagome, he let the miko lead him back to her feudal era family by the arm, her gentle grip on his wrist a soothing weight for his raging emotions. He stopped just behind her and felt her tiny handle tremble against his wrist before her grasp loosened. Knowing how hard things were about to get for her – and selfishly admitting he didn't want to quit touching her – the koorime moved his hand to hers and held it firmly.

Casting a grateful smile to the hybrid, Kagome turned to the three youkai in front of her that had come to be so special in her life with a sad smile on her lips. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, she felt another hand slip around her unoccupied fingers and hold her hand comfortingly. Looking to her right, she found Koenma standing next to her, a gentle smile of compassion on his soft lips.

Taking a deep breath and feeling far more confident than she had been only moments ago, Kagome let her eyes drift over her friends, tears welling once more but refusing to fall. "There's…there's something that you guys have to know…before anything concerning…_him _can be done."

Worry flooded jewel colored eyes and Kagome winced internally, already knowing that there would be hell to pay once things were brought to light, and dropped her head. "Years ago on one of my return trips to Sengoku Jidai, I was abducted by Naraku while Inuyasha was off with Kikyou." She spoke quietly though the demons in the room had no trouble hearing her and she soon felt the auras of her family swell with overwhelming rage.

Seeing that the ookami was about to start talking, Hiei held up a hand haltingly, staying the wolf's words. "There is more. You must touch her." He stated simply, his garnet eyes watching as the fox put a hand on her left shoulder, the wolf doing the same to her right and the dog placing a clawed hand upon her bowed head, softly stroking the raven locks.

Activating the Jagen, Hiei slipped into the miko's memories, avidly searching for the truth her friends needed to see. There was a patch of darkness in the corridors of her mind, festering with pain, hurt and betrayal so strong he could nearly taste the emotions. The area wasn't very big at all considering all she had gone through but the size didn't matter to him at all. One such as her shouldn't have a place like that at all. Corners of the mind as abysmal and dark as this were meant for ones such as the hanyous that were the cause of her problems.

It was a beacon to him, that wretched spot in her mind, and he accessed the memory easily. He took a moment to rearrange things, stripping the whole of each occurrence down to the most important parts. There was no use replaying everything as it was when he could simply show them the worst of it all in sequence. Besides that, the emotions of the memories, her pain, would be more than enough to make up for any lacking detail in events.

The tiny miko's anguish had been enough to twist even his frigid heart and make his stomach turn.

Giving the small hand in his one more squeeze of reassurance – which he still wasn't sure why he was doing – Hiei let the wall that separated him from those touching Kagome slip away. It took the span of about three heartbeats for the room to erupt in vicious growls, the depth and tenor of the sounds multiplying steadily as everything was played out in their minds until the entire room veritably shook.

Once the transfer of memories was complete, the hybrid opened his eyes only to come face to face with three red-eyed youkai, Sesshoumaru's body already flickering as if wanting to transform. The odd thought of seeing the demi-god's office explode from a giant dog flitted through his mind and he mentally smirked, despite the tense atmosphere.

Looking over at said deity, Hiei found his boss standing rigid, the normally soft lines of his face hardened, raw anger and bubbling hatred simmering in his honey-toned eyes. Never before had he seen the prince in such a state and it only proved exactly how far the little priestess had managed to get into his heart. Somehow, instead of pitying the man for getting so caught up in Kagome, he felt oddly relieved. Almost as if for some reason, feeling the way he himself did for the miko wasn't such a bad thing if he wasn't the only one experiencing it.

"I retract our previous request. There is no reason for you to face _him_ – either of them – ever again." The Taiyoukai said his voice colder than a frozen wasteland and sending shivers down the spines of all present. Crimson eyes were trained on the tiny woman standing between the hybrid and the god, never wavering from her form.

Kagome's dark head shot up widened stormy eyes focusing intently on Sesshoumaru before she furiously shook her head. "No. There is no way in hell you're going to keep me from doing this. I have to end it and I have to make sure it's done this time."

"Why the hell didn't you ever tell us about this? How the fuck could you keep something like this locked away and still continue with what you were doing?" Kouga ranted his eyes still the color of blood, his fangs still bared.

"I had to Kouga. It was my fault the jewel broke in the first place and I had to fix it. Even Kikyou was too tainted to heal the Shikon…I was the only one that could keep it safe." Her voice was quiet and soft but still firmly lined in steel. There was absolutely no way she was going to stand back and let her friends fight an enemy that should have died at her hands long ago.

Koenma spoke then, cutting off any further rants from the ookami, "As much as it pains me to say it, I agree with her if for no other reason than she deserves to witness his death. Aside from that, if he is as great a threat as I've been lead to believe, the situation will require any and every person who will be of use to his defeat. His presence is a danger to all the realms."

Kagome smiled up at him, happy that he was being her support when really he had every reason to go against it. Their lives were entwined and her death would mean his and Hiei's as well. She knew without even having to ask that the koorime was certainly on board for hanyou hunting. However she still had a question.

"Koenma. If I have to go do this how will things with us work?"

The godling returned her smile even though his eyes were troubled, "Simple. I'll go with you, my team will as well. You need Hiei and I with you anyway and the extra help of the other Spirit Detectives will aid the effort."

"Excuse me," came the gruff and highly pissed off voice of Yusuke, "but what the fuck is going on here?"


End file.
